The Next Generation
by Tigergirl1223
Summary: Feelings develop between two close friends. Also, for those of you following Christmas in Hope Valley, obviously the youngest Coulter character is a minor spoiler.
1. Chapter 1

Nineteen year old William Thornton was riding back into his home town of Hope Valley, Alberta after twenty-six weeks of Mountie training in Regina, Saskatchewan. He had known ever since he was a little boy that he wanted to join the Mounties just like his father, Constable Jack Thornton, and his late grandfather, Constable Thomas Thornton. It had been a grueling two years of preparation but he was eager to begin his career and receive his first assignment. Until then, he would be staying at his childhood home with his mother, father, and younger twin sisters. When he arrived home, only his parents were waiting outside of the house, "There he is, Canada's newest Mountie."

William dismounted his horse and embraced Jack, "Hi Dad."

"How are you, Son?" Jack hugged him proudly, "Carrying on the Thornton family tradition."

"Just doing what I've always wanted to do, Dad," said William, "Mom," he hugged Elizabeth.

Elizabeth embraced him and kissed his cheek. She observed him in his red serge and a few tears formed in her eyes, "Wow, look at you."

"Mom, please don't get all sentimental," teased William.

"You're just not my little boy anymore. You've gone from my little Mountie to an actual Mountie."

William looked around Elizabeth, "Are Mary and Charlotte inside?"

"Actually, they aren't here right now. But why don't we treat you to a special dinner at Abigail's," said Jack.

"Ah man! You all aren't having some surprise 'Welcome Home' party for me are you?" whined William jokingly.

"How did you figure that out?" asked Elizabeth in surprise.

"Mom, I was born and raised here. Every time Dad went away, every time he came home, every engagement, every wedding reception, every baby shower, every birthday or anniversary party was held at Abigail's," explained William.

Jack and Elizabeth chuckled to themselves, "Well act surprised, Buddy," Jack whispered to his son. When the group of three arrived, William braced himself before opening the door, to which all of the Hope Valley residents yelled, "SURPRISE!"

Just as William had suspected, there were decorations, banners, and food everywhere. And he had the feeling he knew exactly who had organized the majority of the celebration, "There he is! Oh you just like your father as soon as he finished his Mountie training," she said excitedly.

"Hi Aunt Rosemary," William hugged her, "Uncle Lee," he embraced him as well.

"How are you, William? Welcome back," said Lee.

"We missed you," said Aaron, "Baseball wasn't the same without you. Your sisters are with Violet."

Soon a light-brown haired, hazel-eyed girl came running over to William, "William!" she threw herself into his arms.

"Violet!" William crouched down and gave her a high-five, "So I heard you turned the big ten while I was gone?"

Violet nodded eagerly, "We had a big party here at Aunt Abigail's! Everyone in town came and we played games and had cake. And I got to play outside with Becky, Cody, Phillip, Emily, and lots of other kids. Lea and Lydia Cantrell both gave me a really nice dollhouse that Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell helped them find," after a devastating miscarriage, Shane and Faith welcomed Lea Ruth and Lydia Rachel Cantrell into the world on November 16, 1925; they were both now four and a half years old, "Mr. and Mrs. Flynn also got me a new baseball glove and bat. We played a game immediately, though Mommy didn't like it that I got my dress all 'sticky'," Violet said with air quotes. Jesse and Clara Flynn had three boys: eight year old Joshua Peter "Josh" Flynn, four year old Adam Joel Flynn, and seven month old Seth Timothy Flynn.

"Well it sounds like you had a good birthday," acknowledged William.

"Oh, she did," joked Mary.

William laughed as his sisters came over to welcome him home, "We missed you, William," said Charlotte.

"Really? You both missed me?" asked William.

"Well, we'll admit, we didn't miss the teasing for the first couple of months, but then somehow, the house felt different," Mary said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well, I missed you both too, I had no one to annoy on a regular basis," William smirked.

"Mary, Charlotte, I think Aunt Abigail needs help in the kitchen," said Elizabeth.

They nodded and both disappeared. William turned to Aaron and the two best friends began to converse, "So how's life been for you?"

"Pretty good. Dad's teaching me how to drive the car," said Aaron proudly.

"Really?" asked William.

"Mmhm. He says I'm a natural, unlike Mom…"

"Aaron Jacob!" scolded Rosemary from about a foot away from the young men.

"Curse her terrific hearing," muttered Aaron under his breath and William smirked, "Thing is, Lilly isn't that great at driving the Model T either."

"Speaking of…where is your sister?" William looked around the room.

"Try looking behind you."

William turned around and saw her: she was the spitting image of her mother with her blonde hair falling just past her shoulders, her green eyes sparkling in the light, her smile lighting up the room, and, unlike most of the Hope Valley women who wore light pastel colors, she had a bright red blouse and maroon skirt to match. She had also grown a few inches since he last saw her. William widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Lillian!?"

"Yes, of course it's me, you silly goose!" she threw her hands up emphatically. They stepped closer to each other and they kissed each other on both cheeks, "How are you doing?"

"I…um…" William stuttered, "I'm okay," he took a deep breath and said, "You look great."

"You do too. The spitting image of your father except the fact that you have your mother's eyes," Lilly giggled.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to go find the food," Aaron pointed.

Aaron walked away and Lilly rolled her eyes, "Mom and I have to make two trips to the mercantile a week because of him and Dad," she huffed jokingly.

William laughed, "Well, I'm sort of like Aaron and Uncle Lee in that regards. How have you been?"

"Well, I just finished my studies in June," William and Lilly sat down on the couch, "Mom and Dad took me to New York City as a present. Oh it was the first time I had been there since I was seven, when Mom was pregnant with Violet. We got to see _Count of Luxemburg_ on Broadway. Oh the actors were wonderful, the theater was beautiful, the whole week we spent together was absolutely amazing," Lilly said wistfully before chuckling and clapping her hands together excitedly, "Except for the fact that Dad, Aaron, and Violet convinced Mom and I to get on the Cyclone at Coney Island. THAT. WAS. TERRYFYING!" she emphasized, "But alas, I haven't done much since that trip. I've been working at Abigail's Café and helping Mom take care of Violet mostly. I mean, Aaron does his own thing at this point, mostly," Lilly leaned in closer to William, "But other than that, I've been trying to decide my next step in life. Unlike you, I don't have everything figured out," she sighed sadly.

"Lilly," William said her name and she looked up at him, "You'll get there," she smiled meekly and nodded, "You know what? There are a lot of people here right now. Maybe we could have dinner tomorrow at either Abigail's or the saloon?"

"I have to work tomorrow," said Lilly hesitantly, "Clara hasn't been able to pick up as many shifts ever since Seth was born and Aunt Abigail and Pastor Frank have some sort of event at the Children's Hospital, so it's just me and Becky tomorrow."

"Well, what about after church on Sunday?"

"Sunday is the day of rest," Lilly scolded jokingly.

"Monday?"

"Well," Lilly tilted her head and thought about it, "Mom and Mrs. Ramsey have to go to Buxton to pick up fabric on Monday so I have to watch Violet in the morning, but they should be home by dinnertime. If nothing else, Dad or Aaron will be able to watch her in the evening. I'll let you know tomorrow if it's okay."

"Cool," said William and he stood, "Well, I'm going to see if I can get some of Aunt Abigail's chocolate cherry cake before Aunt Rosemary eats it all."

Lilly smiled and laughed, but she knew William was right. She watched her dear friend walk away when a thought suddenly hit her, "Did he just ask me out on a date?"


	2. Chapter 2

Lilly woke up bright and early that Saturday morning. She quickly dressed and decided to head downstairs and make a quick breakfast, as she could hear her mother helping Violet get ready. Lilly scrambled some eggs and poured herself a glass of orange juice before sitting down at the dining room table. Violet came bouncing down the stairs moments later, "Morning Lilly!" she said happily.

Lilly smiled, "Good morning, Violet!" she beamed happily.

"Did you make breakfast?" asked Violet, sitting down next to her older sister.

Lilly shook her head, "No, I only made breakfast for myself. I have to get over to Abigail's to help Becky with the breakfast crowd. Mommy should be down in a few minutes to make you breakfast."

"But I was hoping we could spend the day together," Violet pouted.

"I know you did, but I really have to help Becky today since Aunt Abigail and Pastor Frank are at Children's Hospital and Aunt Clara is home taking care of Seth," said Lilly. She looked at the time, "I have to go," she kissed Violet on the cheek, "I love you."

"Love you too," said Violet.

"Mom, Dad! I'm leaving for work!" Lilly called up the stairs.

Rosemary and Lee made their way down the stairs, both fully dressed, "Have a good day at work, Kiddo," Lee kissed her cheek.

"I love you, Lilly Bug," Rosemary kissed her as well.

"Mom, I'm seventeen! I'll be eighteen in October!" scolded Lilly.

"And you're still my little Lilly Bug, no matter how old you are," Rosemary placed her hands on her hips.

"Fine," Lilly huffed. She knew her mother, and she would usually argue until she had her way. She had noticed that the reason her parents' marriage worked so well was because Lee found all of Rosemary's annoying quirks endearing and usually just let her mother be, "I'll see you later tonight. I should be home for dinner because Clara promised to cover the dinner rush after Jesse gets home from Cape Fullerton and can watch the boys. Tell Aaron I said 'good morning'," Lilly went to leave before turning around again, "Mom, Dad?" Lee and Rosemary faced their oldest daughter, "Monday evening, William Thornton wanted to know if I wanted to have dinner at the saloon with him. I know I have to watch Violet in the morning, but Dad and Aaron will be home later that night and you should be back from Buxton by early evening," pleaded Lilly, "Please Mom, Dad! He's been away for twenty-six weeks!"

"Of course you can, Little Flower, as long as you're home by nine," smiled Rosemary.

"Thanks Mom," Lilly bounced in place and happily kissed both of her parents on the cheek, "Have a good day!"

Rosemary smiled and shook her head in amusement. She went to start breakfast for the rest of the family while Lee just stood in place, "Honey, what's wrong?" asked Rosemary.

"I think our little girl is going out on a date," said Lee.

"Oh Lee, that's preposterous! It's just two friends reconnecting," Rosemary waved her hand in the air.

"Really? Two friends, who happen to be the opposite sex, are just reconnecting?" Lee used air quotes to make his point.

"They've known each other since they were in diapers, Lee," reminded Rosemary.

"I know that, Rosie. But you are also thinking about it from the woman's perspective. Coming from the man's point of view, any time I asked you out to dinner, I had much more than just friendship on my mind, believe me," explained Lee.

Rosemary laughed, "I know. But that was _your_ intention: to try to get me to court you. I know William; he is an honorable young man just like his father. If he had the idea of courtship on his mind, he would come to you and ask for your permission to court Lillian."

Lee sighed, knowing his wife was probably right in this case, "Alright," he said, "I'm going to go wake Aaron. You know that boy will sleep until noon if he's given the chance."

Rosemary nodded and then turned to find that Violet had been intently listening to the whole conversation. Rosemary pointed her finger at her daughter and said, "Everything you heard stays in this room and you don't tell your brother, your sister, or anyone else. Understand?"

Violet tilted her head, "On one condition."

Rosemary took a deep breath, "What?"

"I get a larger helping of dessert than Lilly and Aaron for the next week," said Violet.

Rosemary had absolutely no idea whether Violet's bargaining skills came from Lee's business savvy or her stubbornness, but she knew Violet always drove a hard deal most of the time, "Deal," Rosemary agreed, "Now what do you want for breakfast?"

Lilly arrived at the café and the crowds were already fairly intense, "Lilly, thank goodness," said Becky, handing Lilly her apron and the coffee pot, "Could you go around and refill drinks. The tea kettle is in the back. I really have to start getting orders out."

"Sure, no problem," said Lilly. She went around and refilled the customers' drink orders when she came across William sitting by the window, "How are you doing, Constable Thornton?" she smirked.

William jumped a little, but then turned around and smiled, "Hi Lilly."

"So, how's it feel to be back?" asked Lilly, sitting down across from William.

"Well, I've missed Aunt Abigail's home-cooking. Mom's, not so much," he grinned, taking a sip of his coffee and a bite of his chocolate chip pancakes, "How about you? You mentioned yesterday that you're still figuring out your next step in life."

"Yeah," Lilly sighed, "Seems like I'm the only one who doesn't know what I want to do right now. I mean, you followed in Uncle Jack's footsteps, Aaron is more than ready to take over the saw mill after Dad retires, and Violet is going on and on about how she's going to be a Broadway actress just like Mommy," Lilly imitated Violet's tone and William chuckled, "I mean, I don't mind working here, but I don't think waitressing is my passion. Not the way being a Mountie is to you and Uncle Jack, being a teacher is to Aunt Elizabeth, being a pastor is Pastor Frank, owning a business is to Dad, or being an actress is to Mom."

"You'll find it," William grabbed her hand. Lilly almost pulled it away, but something made her stop herself.

Lilly squeezed William's hand and said, "Oh, Mom and Dad said it was okay for me to have dinner at the saloon with you on Monday!"

"Good," William nodded, "What time?"

"Well, Dad normally gets home from work at five and Mom should be back from Buxton by then. I'll have to have time to get ready so 6:00?"

"Better make it 6:30. You'll need a full hour to get ready," William joked.

"William Thornton, what is that supposed to mean?" asked Lilly.

Becky angrily stormed over to the table, "Lillian Coulter!" William and Lilly looked up at her, "There are other customers waiting for their coffee and tea!"

"Yes sorry! Right away!" Lilly quickly stood and grabbed the coffee pot and the tea kettle.

"And then maybe you could wash some dishes," instructed Becky.

"Mmhm," nodded Lilly and Becky walked away from the pair. Lilly rolled her eyes and blew a breath, "Save me!" she mouthed to William before going over to the Cantrell family's table. William couldn't help but laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just an FYI, the Coulter children are not aware of Jack and Rosie's romantic background, so no, I did not forget an important plot line from season 1. Enjoy Heartes.**

Lee didn't sleep for the next few nights. He was still thinking about Lillian's dinner date with William. It was a change of pace for him. Normally he was the laid back one in his marriage while Rosemary was always the Nervous Nelly. But not this time. Rosemary was thrilled at the idea of the "Best Buddies" as she called them reconnecting over dinner. The last few days had been a blur as well. He wouldn't be able to tell anyone what Frank had included in his sermon on Sunday nor would he have been able to recall a single aspect of the Coulter family dinner conversations. Early morning Monday, Rosemary noticed her husband was tossing and turning again, as he had been for the past few nights. She wasn't getting much sleep herself, so she decided to say something about it, "Honey, would you lie still?!" she whispered loudly, "The last time one of us was tossing and turning in bed this much was when I was expecting Violet."

Lee finally settled down, lying on his back. He took a deep breath and grabbed Rosemary's hand, "I'm sorry, Rosie. I can't help it. I just can't stop thinking about Lilly's dinner date with William."

"Didn't I tell you not to worry about that?" she scolded lightly, "It's two friends having dinner. Nothing more, nothing less."

"And I'm telling you, my gut is telling me it's something more," said Lee.

Rosemary rolled over to face him, "Honey, you're worrying over nothing, I'm telling you."

"Men and women can't be friends, Rosie. There's always some sort of romantic intention involved," said Lee.

"Um, Bill and Dottie, Bill and Abigail, Henry and Abigail, me and Jack," Rosemary listed some examples.

"Okay, okay," Lee stopped her, "I guess I'm just scared because she's my little girl."

" _Our_ little girl," reminded Rosemary, "Who's still trying to figure out her next step in life. I don't think she has courtship with anyone on her mind."

Lee sighed, "Yeah, you're right. You usually are," Rosemary raised her eyebrows at her husband, "You're not always right. You didn't want to court me and you didn't want kids when we first got married."

"Okay, I'll give you those, because you, Lilly, Aaron, and Violet are the best things that ever happened to me," Rosemary snuggled next to her husband, "Now get some sleep," she emphasized.

When the sun came up, the entire Coulter family was up and about fairly early. Rosemary made breakfast before Aaron left to spend the day with Robert and Cody. Lee grabbed his belongings and Rosemary grabbed her clutch, "Behave for Lilly, Princess," Lee said to Violet.

"I will Daddy," she hugged and kissed him.

"I'll be home this evening, Baby Girl," Rosemary kissed her.

"Mommy, I'm not a baby anymore! I turned ten years old last month, remember?" she shouted emphatically, waving her hands in the air.

"I don't care how old you are, even your sister is still my baby girl and she'll be eighteen in a few months," Rosemary smiled at her other daughter.

Lilly rolled her eyes, but smiled and hugged her mother, "Have a good trip, Mom. We'll be fine. Right Violet?" Violet nodded eagerly.

"Alright," Rosemary sighed, "Dad will be at his office if you need anything…"

"MOM!" Lilly stopped her, "I'm fine."

"Okay," Rosemary sighed, "I love you," she kissed Lilly's cheek and went to leave.

"Hey, don't I get a goodbye kiss too?" asked Lee with mock jealousy. Lilly and Violet both giggled in amusement.

"Of course you do, sweetheart," Rosemary smirked and kissed him, "Have a good day. I love you."

"I love you too," Lee smiled, "Have a safe trip."

Rosemary squeezed his hand and left for Buxton. Lee turned to his daughters and kissed them both, "You know I'll be at the mill in the morning, but I'll be in my office by lunchtime. Come down if there's an emergency," he informed Lilly.

"Okay Dad," Lilly hugged him. He hugged Violet and left as well.

Violet looked up at Lilly and smiled, "I hope I marry a man like Daddy someday. He's so good to Mommy."

Lilly chuckled, "Well, you have a long time before you even have to think about marriage. Now what did you want to do today?"

"Can we color?" asked Violet hopefully.

"Of course. Go sit at the table and I'll go get the coloring books and crayons out of the playroom."

Violet happily bounced over to the dining room table while Lilly went upstairs to gather the art supplies. She smiled fondly at the amount of childhood memories that had been spent in this room. From the moment Violet had been born, she had adored being a big sister and helping her mother care for her (minus changing the smelly diapers). They had spent hours upon hours playing peek-a-boo, dolls, dress-up, play performing, you name it, they played it. Lilly had no idea where her love of children came from, given the fact that her mother generally didn't like them unless it was her or one of her siblings, and then of course, she was a fierce Mama Bear. She supposed it was the little bit of her father in her. Lilly carried the supplies down to the dining room and set everything out on the table. She sat next to Violet who was more than happy to begin the conversation, "So you're having dinner with William Thornton tonight, right?"

"Mmhm," Lilly nodded in affirmation.

"Well, what are you going to wear on your date?" asked Violet curiously.

Lilly looked at her younger sister in confusion, "It's not a date, Violet. We're just friends."

"That's not what Daddy says," started Violet and then she covered her mouth, "Oops. Mommy promised me not to tell you that if I wanted more dessert this week."

Lilly furrowed her brow, "What did Daddy say?"

Violet shook her head adamantly, "I can't say. I promised not to tell anyone."

"Well, tell you what? You tell me what Daddy said, and I'll do anything you want for the rest of the week," bargained Lilly.

"Anything?" asked Violet with a twinkle in her hazel eyes.

"Anything," Lilly confirmed.

"Well, I really wanted to go to Aunt Abigail's for lunch today," said Violet.

"Violet, it's my day off," Lilly pleaded.

"Alright, then I won't tell you what Daddy said," Violet shrugged innocently.

"Fine, we'll go to Aunt Abigail's for lunch," Lilly answered.

" _And_ I get to help you pick out your outfit for tonight," said Violet.

Lilly sighed, "Fine. Now what did Daddy say about William asking me to dinner?"

"He said that two people of the opposite sex can't be friends without the boy having the intention to court the girl," informed Violet, focusing on her coloring book.

Lilly laughed and grabbed Violet's hand, "Oh Violet, dear, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Look at Mommy and Uncle Jack. They're best friends and they've never courted or been romantically involved."

"Yeah, true," Violet commented, "I'm just repeating what Daddy said to Mommy. Mommy doesn't believe him either."

"That's because Daddy's overthinking it, but Mommy and I are using woman's intuition. You'll understand when you get a little older," after another few hours had passed, Lilly looked at the time and smiled at Violet, "Well, are you ready to go over to Aunt Abigail's for lunch?"

Violet nodded and helped Lilly clean up the drawing supplies to place back in the playroom. Violet grabbed Lilly's hand and asked, "Can I order whatever I want?"

Lilly sighed, "Yes, you can order whatever you'd like."

"And we can play house when we get home?"

"Yes."

"And I still get to help pick out your outfit for your date with William tonight?"

"It's not a date! And on one condition," Violet looked up at her big sister, "No plaid dresses." Unlike Violet, who always seemed to have some sort of plaid dress as her attire (in fact her entire wardrobe seemed to contain some sort of plaid pattern), Lilly despised wearing plaid. Bright colors, sure! But plaid was where she drew the line.

Violet tilted her head, almost as if she was ready to argue with Lilly. But soon she smiled and said, "Okay!"


	4. Chapter 4

Later that evening, once Lee arrived home from work and Rosemary had returned from Buxton, Lilly used the opportunity to prepare for dinner at the saloon. As she had promised, she let Violet pick out the dress she would wear. Thankfully, her younger sister had decided on a royal purple dress and not some sort of plaid combination. Lilly also let Violet brush her hair out, if only to guarantee that she would continue to have a liaison between herself and her parents. Soon, Rosemary walked into Lilly's room and smiled when she saw her daughters. Despite a seven and a half year age difference, Lilly and Violet had a bond unlike any other she had seen. Rosemary knocked on the door and the two girls looked over towards their mother, "Violet, dinner is almost ready, so why don't you go wash up?"

"Okay," Violet hopped off of her step-stool and placed the brush on Lilly's vanity table. Lilly stood and Rosemary held back tears, "Mom, don't get all sentimental."

"You look beautiful, Lilly," smiled Rosemary, "I can't believe my first baby is all grown-up now."

"Oh Mom," Lilly hugged Rosemary, "You know I'll always be your little Lilly Bug."

"Well, William is waiting downstairs. Thankfully Aaron saved him from your father," smirked Rosemary and Lilly giggled.

Once the mother and daughter were in the living room, William and Aaron were both sitting on the settee, Lee pacing between the living and dining areas. William turned when he heard footsteps and he was overtaken with shock when he saw Lilly, "Wow, Lilly, you look…"

"I know," Lilly waved her hand towards him.

Rosemary hugged Lilly and then William, "Have a good time you two," she smiled eagerly.

Lee finally came over and looked William square in the eye, "Have her home by nine, William, understand?"

"I will, Uncle Lee, I promise," assured William.

"Okay then," said Lee, though you could still see the rigidness in his body, "I'll let you two go then."

"Bye Daddy," smiled Lilly sweetly.

"Have a good time, Princess," Lee embraced her and Lilly left with William.

Lee blew out a breath and Rosemary instructed to her son, "Aaron, go wash up for dinner." he nodded and disappeared upstairs. Rosemary turned to her husband and smiled, "Aren't they just the cutest?" she giggled.

"No, they're not!" said Lee, "Our little girl is going on her first date!"

"Honey, for the umpteenth time…"

"They're just friends," Lee completed Rosemary's sentence for her, "But do friends get greeted at the door? Do friends escort each other to restaurants? Do friends promise to take care of their companion?" asked Lee, pacing the room again.

"If they're polite they do," answered Rosemary confidently.

"Rosemary, don't you remember me coming to your place? Don't you remember me escorting you to Abigail's or the saloon?" Lee panicked.

"LEE!" Rosemary shouted to get her husband's attention. She grabbed his hands and squeezed them, "Lilly is a responsible young woman and you've known William since he was born. Even if this was a date, which it's not, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

Lee sighed, "Yeah, you're right," the couple heard someone clear their throat and turned towards the stairs. Violet was standing in front of them, arms across her chest, "Princess, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," answered Violet.

"Remember our deal," Rosemary raised her eyebrows at her daughter.

"Mmhm," Violet nodded.

"Good, now go get your brother and come eat dinner."

Once William and Lilly arrived at the saloon, they were seated immediately and William poured the tea for both of them. They both stayed silent for several moments before the quiet got to Lilly, "So, do you have any idea what your first assignment will be?"

William placed his teacup in the saucer and shook his head, "No. I'm hoping it's close to Hope Valley, but it could end up being in Nova Scotia. Who knows?"

Lilly giggled, "Well that's part of the adventure of being a Mountie. Remember all of the stories your Dad would tell us when we were kids?"

" _Were_? He still would if given the chance. You know how much Dad loves to talk about his Mountie experiences," he smiled.

Lilly rolled her eyes, "Kind of like Mom does about her Broadway days."

"Speaking of Broadway, I'm surprised you haven't decided to go the acting route. Remember when you didn't get the part of Mary in the Christmas pageant? When I was eight and you were seven?"

Lilly glared at William, "Don't remind me. My severely hormonal but didn't realize she was pregnant yet mother almost killed yours. Thankfully, Uncle Jack has some sort of way of being able to calm her. The only other person besides Dad for some reason," their food arrived and the pair began to eat their dinner, "I thought about pursuing acting, but then I decided against it. The biggest theater scenes are in Toronto, Montreal, of course, New York City and I decided I really didn't want to leave home right now. Not with my friends and family here and not with Violet being so young still. I mean, she's only ten."

"You don't have any more family in Montreal?" asked William.

Lilly shook her head, "No, Mom's parents are gone; most of the great aunts and great uncles still live in France."

"Well, it's admirable you stayed in Hope Valley to help raise Violet. But then again, it's not all surprising because I've never seen a woman who loves children more than you, well, maybe my Mom. Also surprising given the fact that Aunt Rosemary hates children."

"She doesn't hate children!" Lilly mocked jokingly.

"No sorry. She loves you and your siblings, she likes me and my sisters, and she tolerates everyone else's children. Accurate assessment?" asked William. Lilly smiled and nodded. Once they were finished their meal, Lilly went to get the money out of her clutch when William stopped her, "It's okay, Lilly, I've got it covered."

"Look at you being all polite," Lilly pointed a finger at him.

Once the meal was paid, William began to walk Lilly back home, "I had a really nice time with you tonight," he commented.

"I did too. I think we should do it again sometime," she smiled.

They arrived at their houses on the edge of town and William escorted Lilly to the front door of the Coulter residence, "Well, I'll probably see you tomorrow."

Lilly nodded, "I have to work, but I don't have to start until lunch."

William and Lilly stood still for a few moments before William lightly kissed her, "Well, have a good night, Lilly."

"You too," she grinned from ear to ear, blushing. She entered her house where her mother was still waiting up for her, "Hi Mom."

Rosemary looked up from her book, "Hi sweetheart."

Lilly looked around the room, "Where's Dad?"

"He's in his office working on a finance report with Aaron," Rosie informed.

"All of those numbers. I don't know how Dad or Aaron stand it," Lilly waved her hand around again.

Rosie chuckled, but understood perfectly how Lilly felt, "Violet is up waiting for you," she motioned towards the stairs.

"Why?" asked Lilly in confusion.

"She wants you to read her a bedtime story," Rosemary commented.

"Alright," said Lilly.

"So?" asked Rosie curiously.

"So what?" asked Lilly.

"How was it?" asked Rosemary.

Lilly sat down next to her mother and said, "We talked, we ate, we came home. But he did kiss me," she blushed again.

"Oh that's so sweet! Ever the gentlemen," smiled Rosemary enthusiastically, "I can remember where I was when I first kissed your father …" Rosemary trailed off, her face falling.

"What?" asked Lilly.

Rosemary shook her head, "Nothing Lilly Bug. You should really get going. Violet is already staying up past her bedtime waiting for you."

"Okay. Good night Mom," Lilly kissed Rosie.

"Good night," said Rosemary. She watched her daughter retreat up the stairs before she said to herself, "Oh dear, it was a date!"


	5. Chapter 5

Lilly arrived in Violet's room and Violet was still wide awake, "Mommy said you wanted me to read to you?"

Violet nodded eagerly and handed Lilly a book, _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ , her favorite. Lilly lied down on the bed next to her younger sister and began the story, though it wasn't long before Violet interrupted her, "How was your dinner with William?"

"It was nice," answered Lilly as she went back to reading.

"What did you guys talk about?" asked Violet.

Lilly scowled, "Stuff, I guess. Like why I decided not to be an actress or what I wanted to do in life."

Lilly continued to read to Violet when Violet interjected once more, "Did he walk you home? Did he hold your hand?"

Lilly finally closed the book and looked over at her sister, "Why do I get the feeling you don't actually want me to read to you?"

"Because as Mommy says 'they know each other too well'," Violet quoted.

"Fine," Lilly put the novel on Violet's nightstand, "Ask away."

"Did you hold hands?"

"No."

"Did he walk you home?"

"Yes."

"What else happened?"

"Well, you have to promise not to tell Daddy what I'm about to tell you," said Lilly.

"I promise," said Violet.

"Well…"

"If you read to me tomorrow night."

"Deal," said Lilly, "William kissed me!"

Violet wrinkled her nose, "Gross! You got kissed by a boy!"

"Hush Violet! I don't want Daddy finding out from anyone," Lilly scolded lightly, "And Mommy and Daddy kiss all the time and you don't think it's gross."

"That's different. Mommy and Daddy love each other," protested Violet.

"Exactly. A chaste kiss is an appropriate act of affection when a boy likes…" Lilly trailed off suddenly, "Oh dear."

"Lilly, what's wrong?" asked Violet.

"Daddy was right. This was a date! And that kiss was an act of…oh dear!" Lilly buried her face into her hands, "And worse off, I told Mommy that William kissed me!"

"Mommy tells Daddy everything, even if it's by accident," reminded Violet.

"Thanks for the reminder, Violet!" quipped Lilly sarcastically and Violet looked taken aback. Lilly felt a pang of guilt. She knew she shouldn't be taking her frustrations out on a ten year old, "I'm sorry, Violet. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I really need to get ready for bed," Lilly hastily got up and tucked Violet into bed. Lilly kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too, Lilly."

In the next room over, Rosemary was frantically pacing the master bedroom, "A date, Lee! Our little girl went on a date and I didn't even realize it! You were 100% correct in your instincts!"

"I'm sorry. Did you just admit I was right about something?" he joked.

"Don't joke," she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sorry," Lee apologized, "But now do you see why I was so concerned?"

"YES!" Rosie freaked, "Our sweet little Lilly Bug went on a DATE! And she had her first KISS!" she shouted.

"Wait a minute? They KISSED?!" asked Lee incredulously, "I'm gonna kill him!"

"No don't kill him!" Rosemary stopped her husband, "Kissing someone on the first date wasn't my concern. That's following LeVeaux family tradition."

"I beg your pardon?" questioned Lee.

"Maman kissed Papa on their first date, I kissed Jack on our first official date…"

"And this is supposed to make me feel better how?!" asked Lee.

"Just saying, she is half LeVeaux," she reminded him, "No, my worry is…Leland, we're losing our baby! It seems like just yesterday I was carrying her inside of me! It seems like just yesterday, we still lived in our row house and I was screaming at you as I was giving birth to her!"

"As opposed to now," Lee muttered under his breath, though his wife hadn't heard him.

"It seems like just yesterday, she was small enough to snuggle in my arms against my chest while she was nursing. I would rock her to sleep and sing her lullabies. And now, she went on a date! I thought I had more time with her when she decided to stay in Hope Valley to help raise Violet and not pursue acting, which was a nobler move than I would've done at her age. Goodness, I was in my twenties still chasing the acting dream, thinking only of myself. Before you know it, she'll move out of the house because she'll be married and have kids of her own. Lee, we could be grandparents before we know it!" she finally stopped her pacing, practically shaking Lee as she laid her hands on his shoulders. Rosemary finally sat down on the bed and Lee sat down next to her. He took her hand and stroked it with his thumb, the two parents not really knowing how to further the conversation, "She grew up right before our eyes, Lee."

"I know," he said, "We both knew this day would come but now that it's here…the prospect that she can get married and have children of her own," Rosemary glanced over at Lee and noticed a few tears streaming down his cheeks.

"When they were toddlers, all I wanted was for them to grow up so it would make my life easier. Now that Lilly and Aaron are nearly adults and Violet is reaching her pre-teen years, I just want them all to be babies again," Rosie admitted, "How do we even…talk to her about everything involved with courtship and marriage? And it would be a Mountie courtship on top of that. Speaking from my own experiences from when I courted and was engaged to Jack, a relationship with a Mountie is a whole different ballpark."

"Wait a minute? You were engaged to Uncle Jack?" asked Violet disbelievingly.

"Princess," Lee and Rosemary hastily stood and faced her, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I was getting a glass of water," said Violet.

"Oh boy," Rosemary sighed and looked at Lee. They both knew their youngest child; she was very loving and sweet but her chances of keeping a secret for them was about zero to none. They had gone nearly eighteen years with children without any of them finding out, but now, they had no choice. They would have to tell them. And Rosie would have to let Jack know her kids knew about their past relationship.

"Violet, sweetheart," said Lee, motioning his younger daughter into the room. Violet sat down in between her parents, "Listen, Mommy and Uncle Jack were engaged a long time ago, before Mommy and I even met. It's something the two of us, Uncle Jack, and Aunt Elizabeth didn't really want you Kiddos to know. We'll answer any questions you and your older brother and sister have in the morning, but for now, you have to keep things quiet. Okay?"

"Okay," said Violet.

"Alright," said Lee.

"Come on, baby girl, let's get you into bed," Rosemary scooped Violet into her arms, carried her to her room, and tucked her into bed. Rosie kissed her and smiled, "Good night, Princess."

"Good night, Mommy," Violet answered. She listened carefully and made sure her parents' bedroom door closed before she jumped out of bed and ran to Lilly's room.

Violet barged right in, much to Lilly's dismay, "Violet, it's not polite not to knock before walking into a room," scolded Lilly.

Violet grinned from ear to ear and smiled, "But I have a really juicy story for you!"

Lilly sighed, got up from her desk, and closed the door. She turned to face her sister and crossed her arms over her chest, "What's so important that you couldn't wait until morning to tell me?"

"Mommy was engaged to Uncle Jack before she and Daddy got married," stated Violet proudly.

Lilly's eyes widened and she shook her head in confusions, "Wait a minute? Uncle Jack as in Uncle Jack Thornton?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure we don't know any other Mounties named Jack, silly," said Violet, "But she told me…"

"Hang on a second," Lilly held up a finger to stop her sister, "Mom!" she walked towards her parents' bedroom, "Mom?" Lee and Rosie both glanced over at Lilly, "Please explain to me why we never knew you were once engaged to Uncle Jack!"


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Rosemary had her children go to the living room so she could explain the whole situation from the night beforehand, but she hadn't made it downstairs herself yet. Instead, she had taken to pacing her bedroom back and forth out of nervousness, "Rosie, it's going to be okay. It's not the end of the world," said Lee.

Rosemary stopped her motion and ran her hands through her hair, "I know, but how do I even begin to tell them about my relationship with Jack? And more importantly, how do I explain why I lied to them for so long?"

"You technically didn't lie to them. You just didn't explicitly tell them," said Lee.

"I know that Lee!" she quipped angrily and he flinched back a little, "I'm sorry, I guess I just need to get it over with," she finally left the room and headed downstairs to the living room. All three of her children were seated on the settee; Lilly had her arms crossed over her chest and was still clearly angry that Rosemary hadn't given her any further details last night. Violet was next, looking as eager to listen as ever, and Aaron looked bored and confused as he had no idea about what they were about to discuss.

Lee came down stairs and his wife and he sat down in the chairs across from the sofa. "So, why are we here exactly?" questioned Aaron.

"Because Mom's going to tell us why she hid the fact that she was engaged to Uncle Jack from us," answered Lilly bitterly.

"Lillian Coulter," warned Rosemary through gritted teeth.

"Wait a minute? You were engaged to Uncle Jack? When?" asked Aaron.

"It was from 1907-1908. Well, you know Uncle Jack and I have known each other since we were kids because our fathers served in the Mounties together, right?" all three kids nodded, "Well, after Jack's father died and Grandpa overcame his injury from that ambush, we moved from Montreal to Ottawa, where Uncle Jack and I got to know each other better than just brief encounters here and there. For a while, Uncle Jack wanted to be painter and we courted for a few years, from 1905-1907. I almost broke off that courtship when I found out he had joined the Mounties, but then he proposed to me and I said yes. Soon, I got the opportunity to pursue a career on Broadway and I broke off our engagement to chase my dreams. Well, a few years later, in 1910, a few years before Lilly was born, I came to Hope Valley, well Coal Valley at the time, to try to win Uncle Jack back. I acted like I had never broken up with him, which was wrong of me on my part."

"Wait a minute, that's why you came to Hope Valley?" asked Lilly in astonishment.

"Well, you didn't think your Montreal born, New York City loving mother would move to a small coal mining town in the middle of nowhere just because did you?" questioned Rosemary jokingly.

"Yeah, you're right. It all makes so much more sense now," Lilly trailed off before finishing her thoughts.

"Of course, I didn't win him back, but then your father moved to Hope Valley to open his saw mill, he asked me out, we started courting, and the rest is history," Rosemary smiled at her husband.

Aaron absorbed the information before he hesitantly spoke up, "Do you…do you regret marrying Dad instead?"

"No," Rosemary quickly answered. She grabbed Lee's hand and gazed into his dark blue eyes, "Not for a second."

"So you don't regret how your life turned out?" asked Lilly.

Rosemary sighed, "I regret the way I ended things with Jack, in the fact that I should have never accepted his proposal in the first place, so I left him heartbroken. But I don't regret not marrying him or how our lives turned out because I believe it was for the best. He belongs with Aunt Elizabeth and I belong with your father and God knew that even if I didn't at the time. And then you were born," she motioned her head towards Lilly, "And nineteen months later, you came along," Rosemary smiled towards Aaron.

"And then me!" said Violet happily.

Lee and Rosie chuckled and Rosie squeezed Violet's hand, "Yes, and then you, but you weren't born until 1920. But you completed our family."

"I love you, Mommy!" Violet jumped up and hugged Rosemary.

"Me too," smiled Lilly, joining the hug.

Rosemary looked over her daughters' heads over at Aaron. He huffed and rolled his eyes jokingly, but joined in too, "Fine."

Lee wrapped his arms around his family before he pulled back, "I've got to get to work."

"Don't you want to stay for breakfast?" asked Rosemary.

"No, I have big lumber deal in Vancouver I have to finish. I'll just get a coffee and a scone over at Abigail's," he kissed Rosie, "Love you."

"Love you too," she said.

"Have a good day Kiddos."

"Bye Dad!" they all waved.

Rosemary and Lilly went to start on breakfast and Lilly leaned closer to her mother, "So, are you going to let Uncle Jack know that we know about your previous engagement?"

"Probably," sighed Rosemary, "It's only fair to him."

"And you know you'll have to do it sooner rather than later with…" Lilly motioned her head towards Violet, who was currently playing dolls with Aaron. Not that Aaron actually enjoyed playing dolls, but he was usually a good sport about it for his sister's sake.

"Yeah, I know," said Rosemary.

"And you thought I was the blunt blabbermouth," smirked Lilly.

"You still are," confirmed Rosemary, "But once your sister learned to talk, I think she started giving you a run for your money. I think it's due to the fact that you wouldn't let her out of your sight after she was born," Lilly chuckled at the memory, "So… William Thornton?"

Lilly furrowed her brow, "What about him?"

"Are you going to see him again?" asked Rosemary curiously.

"Oh," Lilly responded, "I don't know. You were freaking out over a date and Dad wanted to murder him over the fact that he kissed me."

"Oh Lillian," Rosemary rubbed her daughter's arms, "You're our first baby, that's all. It's…it's new territory for us; the idea of you in a courtship. And all Daddies are protective of their baby girls no matter how old they are. You see how Uncle Jack is with Mary and Charlotte or how Pastor Frank is with Becky."

"But wouldn't William have to ask Dad first?" asked Lilly, "Because at this point, I'm pretty sure Dad would say no."

"Traditionally," answered Rosemary, "But I don't know if one date constitutes a full-blown courtship."

"True," said Lilly.

"Well," Rosemary urged.

Lilly sighed, but smiled, "I think so."


	7. Chapter 7

A few days passed and Rosemary still hadn't had the chance to tell Jack and Elizabeth that her children knew about her and Jack's previous engagement. Friday morning arrived and Rosemary figured it was time to tell them; quite honestly, she had been avoiding the conversation for as long as possible for fear of how they would react. Lee and Aaron left for the mill and since Lilly was off, she offered to take Violet to Abigail's for breakfast. Rosemary finally mustered the courage to go next door and knock. Jack answered a few moments later, "Rosie?"

"Hey Jack, is Elizabeth here?" she asked.

Jack shook his head, "No, she went to Buxton with Mary and Charlotte to pick up school supplies. William had to make a trip to Cape Fullerton to take care of some paperwork now that he's completed his training, so it's just me right now."

"Oh. I'll come back later then," Rosemary turned to leave.

"Rosie," Jack stopped her and she turned to face him, "Was it something important you wanted to discuss?"

"Kind of," Rosemary admitted, "But I think it's best if Elizabeth is here to hear it too."

"I can always tell her," said Jack.

Rosemary finally couldn't take it any longer. She needed to tell someone, "Fine," Rosemary succumbed.

Jack let her into the house and asked, "Did you want coffee, tea, water?"

"Just a glass of water, thank you," Rosemary answered. Jack obtained the desired beverage and sat down next to her on the sofa.

"What's going on, Rosie?" he asked gently.

Rosemary sighed, "My kids know, Jack," she whispered, her answer barely audible.

Jack looked confused, "Know about what?"

"About us, Jack!" Rosemary stood and began to pace, a nervous habit of hers, "They know more than just that we grew up together. They know more than just we're close friends. They know that we were…a couple, engaged, involved romantically," she blurted.

"Well, how did they find out? Did you tell them?" he asked.

Rosemary sat back down on the couch and sighed, "Not specifically. Lee and I were talking about Lilly's date with William and Violet overheard us and you know she can't keep a secret if her life depended on it. She told Lilly who confronted us, so Lee and I had no choice but to tell them. We told all three of them a few days ago."

"Wait a minute? William went on a date with Lilly? When?" questioned Jack standing.

"Monday evening," Rosemary stood as well, "You didn't know?"

"I knew William and Lilly were having dinner at the saloon together, but I didn't realize it was a date," said Jack, "Are you sure?"

"He kissed her, Jack," Rosemary replied.

"Oh," Jack crossed his arms over his chest, "Like father, like son, I guess. Living up to the Thornton family tradition of kissing a girl on the first date."

"I thought that was LeVeaux family tradition," Rosemary joked and they both laughed a little, "But seriously, you might want to tell your kids that way they won't hear it from one of mine."

"Okay," Jack ran his hand through his dark, brown locks, "I'll explain the situation to Elizabeth and we'll let them know."

"Explain what situation to Elizabeth?" Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow. Mary and Charlotte were behind her.

"Sweetheart," Jack gave his best fake smile, "What are you doing home so early?"

"There was no traffic," answered Mary.

"Hi, Aunt Rosemary," waved Charlotte.

"Hi Elizabeth, Mary, Charlotte. I better go. Excuse me," Rosemary hastily rushed out the door.

Elizabeth nodded as Rosemary left. Jack turned to his family and asked, "Girls, would you excuse your mother and I for a few moments? I need to talk to her."

He quickly pulled Elizabeth up the stairs and closed their bedroom door behind him, "Jack, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked her husband.

Jack began to pace the bedroom, a nervous habit of his as well, and said, "Rosemary's kids know about our relationship."

Elizabeth's eyes widened, "How? We've worked so hard to keep it a secret from their kids and our children."

"Violet overheard her and Lee talking about William and Lilly's date and you know Violet when it comes to keeping a secret," Elizabeth nodded her understanding. Violet was a very sweet girl but she could be a bit loose-lipped at times, "And of course, our son took Lilly Coulter on a date and we didn't even realize it."

"I realized it. YOU didn't realize it," emphasized Elizabeth.

"I just…the thought of our son in a courtship is one thing, but the thought of our son in a courtship with the daughter of our closest friends is quite another," Jack stopped his pacing, "If this gets serious, I would hope…no, I would EXPECT William to ask for Lee's permission to court Lilly. I mean, I know I don't have the best track record of asking permission, but that's only because Rosie's father had passed away by the time we started courting. And with you and me, we started courting so fast…."

"JACK!" Elizabeth shouted to get her husband's attention, "Listen, I know this is a very frightening time, but I would say we need to tell our children about you and Rosie that way they hear it from us and not one of the Coulter children, and then we need to have a conversation with William and see if he is seriously considering courting Lillian Coulter. He's only nineteen, Jack; he doesn't know everything even though he's an adult."

"Right, of course," Jack scrubbed his hand over his face, "I guess we'll talk to them after William gets back from Cape Fullerton."

Elizabeth nodded, "I think that would be a good start at least."

Jack sighed, "What would I do without you?" Jack came over to her and hugged her.

"I don't know," she chuckled lightly, "But at least we have each other."

Jack leaned out of her embrace and kissed her, "Even after twenty years of marriage, my heart still skips a beat every time I look at you."

"And after twenty years of marriage, I can't believe that line of yours still works," she smiled. She kissed him again, "I love you, Jack Thornton. So much."

"I love you too," he smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

William arrived home from Cape Fullerton right around noon, so Jack and Elizabeth took the opportunity to gather all of their children while they were still available. They sat down on the couch, all looking very bewildered as to why their parents wanted to have a discussion with them, "Mom, Dad, what's going on?" asked William nervously.

"Is something wrong? Is Dad going away?" asked Charlotte.

"No, I'm staying put," confirmed Jack, "It's about me and Aunt Rosemary."

The siblings looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Okay."

Jack sat down across from them and Elizabeth sat down next to her husband, "Listen, guys, rest assured, I love your mother very much and I'm grateful to God that we met. So I don't want what I'm about to tell you all to affect our relationship with Uncle Lee, Aunt Rosemary, or their kid, alright?" they all nodded, "Well, you all know Aunt Rosemary and I have been friends for a really long time. But, back before I was assigned to Coal Valley, back before I met your mother, Aunt Rosemary and I courted for a short time when we both still lived in Ottawa. We were also engaged to be married at one point in our lives."

The siblings glanced at each other and William hesitantly asked, "So, what happened?"

"She broke off the engagement to go pursue an acting career in New York City. Granted, I was very heartbroken at first, but I threw all of my time and energy into my work, hoping to secure an assignment at Cape Fullerton."

"But you didn't get that, either," commented Mary.

Elizabeth went to speak, but Jack interrupted her, "Thank your grandfather for that one."

The girls chuckled amusingly and William shook his head, "I don't even want to know."

"Anyway, two years after she left, Aunt Rosemary came to Coal Valley trying to win me back, pretending like she hadn't ever broken up with me, but know that I was already courting your mother at the time and didn't have any interest in taking her back."

"So that's why Aunt Rosemary moved to Coal Valley?" asked William.

"Well, you all know Aunt Rosemary. Do you really think she'd move to a small coal mining town over a big city without a reason in mind?" asked Jack.

"No, probably not," William agreed.

"So, how did you eventually get her to stop pursuing you?" asked Charlotte.

"Uncle Lee moved to town and took care of the problem for us," Elizabeth stated casually and her children chuckled.

"I promise, guys, the past is the past, and even though Aunt Rosemary and I are still best friends, we no longer have feelings for each other in that manner. Understood?" they nodded, "Alright, come here guys," he hugged them all, "I love you all so much."

"We love you too, Dad," they said.

"Well, come on girls, we have to start getting lunch ready," said Elizabeth. She looked over at Jack and nodded, indicating to him to take William upstairs to talk about his date with Lilly.

"Hey William, can I talk to you about something in private?" Jack whispered to his son.

William nodded and followed his father upstairs. He followed Jack into his childhood bedroom, though it looked much different than it had when they first moved in ten years ago.

"So…." William started, "What did you want to talk to me about, Dad?"

Jack and William both sat down on his bed and Jack responded, "It's about the other night when you went out with Lilly Coulter."

"Oh," William sighed, "I don't even know where to begin."

"William, I was your age once, I might have an idea about what you're going through right now," said Jack.

William ran his hand through his brown hair and said, "I've had a crush on her for years, but I just never found the courage to ask her out. And I don't want to ruin our friendship if we court and it doesn't work out."

"Buddy," Jack laid a hand on his son's back, "Have you talked to Lee about any of this?"

William shook his head, "No. For one thing, I don't know what to call him. Do I call him Uncle Lee, Mr. Coulter, just plain Lee? And I know Uncle Lee has known me since I was born, but Lilly is still his daughter. I can only imagine he'll be the same way with me as you would be towards anyone who wanted to court Mary or Charlotte. It won't matter how long he's known me; Lillian's still his little girl. And then of course, there's the whole situation with you and Aunt Rosemary, which probably means it wouldn't work out anyway…"

"William, Aunt Rosemary and I didn't work out because it wasn't meant to be, but that doesn't mean you and Lilly won't," said Jack.

William sighed, "Dad, I haven't even gotten my first assignment yet. What if my first assignment is in Quebec or Ontario or somewhere else on the other side of the country?"

Jack nodded in understanding, "Well, distance can be a challenge in any relationship, but your mother and I make it work. If it's really meant to be with you and Lillian, you both will find a way to make it work too," Jack stood to leave, "Well, I've said what I needed to say. Now you have to decide the rest for yourself."

Jack went to exit the room when William said, "Thanks Dad."

"No problem, Buddy."

William waited until after lunch when he knew Lee would be at his office. His mother and his sisters were out at the church so Elizabeth could begin setting up her classroom for the new school year, while Jack and Bill had a meeting with Abigail about town functions and budgets. William slowly made his way to L. Coulter Enterprises and quietly knocked on the door when he reached Lee's office, "Come in," he heard Lee call. William hesitantly walked into the room and Lee smiled, "Hello William, what's up?"

 _"_ _Well, he seems to be in an upbeat mood, so I guess that's good_ ," William thought, "Um, Uncle Lee, can we talk about something?"

"Sure," Lee gestured to the seat on the other side of his desk. William sat down nervously and Lee smiled, "What did you want to talk about, William?"

William rubbed his hands together nervously, "Well, first of all, I really don't know what to call you in this case…"

"William, you've been calling me Uncle Lee since you first learned how to talk," reminded Lee.

"I know," said William. He took a deep breath and said, "I wanted to talk to you about Lillian."

"Oh," Lee's eyes widened, "What about her?"

William twiddled his thumbs apprehensively before he spoke again, "Listen, Uncle Lee, sir, I know Lillian is your daughter, your first-born, and your little girl," William rambled, "I understand that and I'll respect whatever decision you choose to make. But, this is something I've been contemplating for a while; I just haven't worked up the courage to ask you until now," Lee nodded, having a slight feeling he knew what William was going to ask, "Sir, I would like your permission to court Lillian."

And there it was. The question Lee knew he would eventually be asked since the day Lillian was born. He had never really thought about this moment as he watched Lilly grow. He had just embraced the dress-up sessions, tea parties, doll house arranging, and pretend play with dolls and stuffed animals. He hadn't even really thought about it when Lilly hit puberty and her teenage years as Rosemary had dealt with most of her questions and challenges then. And now, here he was, seventeen years later, and he had the power to bless or deny a courtship for his daughter. He had known William Thornton for the young man's entire life. He had been one of the first people to hold him after Jack and Elizabeth and he clearly remembered the first time William had uttered the words 'Uncle Lee' to him. It had been what made him want to try to have a baby with Rosie, but luckily for him, Rosie had already been six weeks pregnant with Lilly when he had brought up the notion. And he still remembered the moment he looked into his sweet baby girl's bright green eyes for the first time, the same eyes that her mother had, and instantly having so many hopes and dreams for her. She was only going to be eighteen in October. He couldn't possibly give his blessing on a possible courtship could he?

And then, he remembered back to the recent conversations with his wife about how honorable and trustworthy William was. He _had_ come to ask his permission to court Lilly and Lee respected that. But was he really ready to let his baby girl go? Was he really ready for the fact that this courtship could lead to marriage and Lillian starting a family of her own (though he chuckled at the idea of Rosie becoming a grandmother; she would spoil their future grandkids rotten), "Uncle Lee, if I've said something to offend you…" William started.

"No, no," Lee assured William. He wondered how long he had been lost in his own thoughts, "Listen, William, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I've known you since the day you were born, and I love you like a son, but Lillian is still my baby girl," William nodded his understanding, "If you do anything to hurt her physically, mentally, or emotionally, I will quickly become your worst enemy, understand?" he questioned, doing his best to sound intimidating.

"Of course," William replied, "Wait, so is this your way of giving me your permission to court Lilly?"

"Yes, now go before I change my mind," said Lee.

William stood excitedly and shook his hand, "Thank you Uncle Lee, I mean sir, I mean…what do you want me to call you exactly?"

"Uncle Lee is still fine with me, William," said Lee, "Now I have work to do."

"Right, of course," William went to leave, "Thanks Uncle Lee!"

"Don't make me regret this, William!"

Later that night, after the Coulters had finished dinner, Rosemary had tucked Violet into bed, and Aaron and Lilly had also gone to sleep, Lee and Rosemary decided to settle down for the night. Rosemary was chatting away about all of the new outfits she and Violet were planning on buying or making for the new school year, "She grew five inches over the summer, Lee. I forgot how fast they grow once they hit the age of ten," Rosemary said, though her husband seemed to be off in his own world, "Honey, what's the matter?"

Lee finished changing into his pajamas and crawled into bed, "William Thornton came by my office to talk to me today."

"Really? About what?" asked Rosemary as she finished buttoning her nightgown and began to brush out her hair.

"About Lillian."

Rosemary froze and immediately stopped brushing. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and asked, "What did he want to know?" she asked, feeling she knew the answer.

"He wanted my permission to ask if she was interested in courting him," Lee responded. Rosemary nodded and set her hairbrush down on her vanity. She crawled under the covers next to him, but didn't say anything, "Sweetheart, I know we usually have a conversation about major life changes and big issues before we make a decision, especially when it involves the kids…"

"Oh, I know that you're the one who gets to make the decision in this case because you're her father; that's not why I'm upset," she answered. Rosemary sighed, "I guess I'm just having trouble accepting the fact that our first baby has grown up. I mean, I knew that they wouldn't stay little forever no matter how much I wanted that to be the case and I know we still have Aaron and Violet, but still, she could be in a courtship by tomorrow afternoon, Lee."

"Mmhm. She could be married in a few years," he said.

"And then she'll move out of our house to go live with her husband," said Rosie absentmindedly.

"We could be grandparents before we know it," commented Lee.

"Now I'll be totally into that," Rosie chuckled.

"I'm sure you will be," laughed Lee. He rubbed her leg soothingly before he opened his arms out to her. She happily accepted his embrace and he kissed her temple, "I guess we just have to trust in God at this point."

Rosemary laid her head against Lee's chest and said, "And we have to accept the fact that Lilly is no longer our little girl anymore. We don't have to like it, but we have to accept it."


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Lilly was up bright and early as she had to work the breakfast shift at Abigail's. She bid her family her farewells and promised she would be home around lunchtime. Once she arrived at the café, Abigail had plenty of orders that already needed to be served to the various customers. Lilly grabbed the coffee pot and went around to the different tables refilling cups. Once she went back to the kitchen and saw a plateful of chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon, she knew immediately who had ordered it. She smiled and grabbed the plate before taking it over to him, "One five year old special for Constable William Thornton," she joked and placed the plate in front of him.

William looked up from his newspaper and smiled, "Hey Lilly."

Lilly sat down across from him, "So did Uncle Jack and Aunt Elizabeth tell you? About?"

"My Dad and your Mom, yeah," said William, "Kind of crazy isn't it? If it had worked out, we wouldn't even be here."

"I know," sighed Lillian.

"Hey, Lilly?" asked William and Lilly looked up at him, "Um, I know you have to work right now, but I wanted to know if we could talk sometime soon. I wanted to ask you a question."

Lilly's heart began to race and her palms started to sweat a little bit. Was William going to ask her what she thought he was going to ask her? Or was it going to be something completely non-related? She took a deep breath and said, "I get off at noon. Where do you want to meet?"

"Um, I'd like to go someplace private, so maybe outside of the church? I don't think Mom is there currently. She set up her classroom yesterday," said William.

Lilly smiled and said, "Okay," she stood and grabbed the coffee pot, "I better get back to work. Becky scolds me enough; I don't need to give her any more reasons."

William chuckled and smiled, "Go."

At 12:30 PM, Lillian still hadn't arrived to the church. William paced in front of the stairs, looking at his watch, "That girl is always late."

"Yoo hoo!" Lillian waved, running over towards William happily. Once she approached him, she gave him a quick embrace and said, "Sorry, I'm late. Clara had a little trouble with the baby, so I had to stay at work longer."

"It's no problem, Lilly," said William. He gestured towards the stairs and nervously asked, "Should we have a seat?"

"Sure," Lilly beamed. The pair sat down and Lilly turned to William, "So what did you want to ask me?"

William took a nervous breath and rubbed his hands together before he spoke, "Well, I have a confession to make about you. I've had a crush on you for a really long time."

"Well, of course you have! For how long?" asked Lilly, raising an eyebrow.

"For as long as I can remember. I was just too afraid to do anything about it. I mean, our parents are best friends, your brother and I are best friends, and you're like a sister to me. I'm afraid I'll mess up and ruin our friendship if it doesn't work out in the end."

"Wait? If what doesn't work out?" questioned Lilly in confusion.

William stood and began to pace, "Well, I talked to your father about it yesterday and I'm pretty sure Uncle Lee is as good as he's ever going to be with this topic, so here it goes," William stood Lilly and took her hands in his, "Lillian Coulter, would you like to court me?"

"William," Lilly sighed, "You haven't gotten your first assignment yet. You could be stationed in New Brunswick tomorrow."

"Well, Mom and Dad make it work. Besides, if I get my way, that won't happen."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Lilly.

"Well, I can't be certain, but I requested a posting at Cape Fullerton," informed William, "It's only 90 minutes from here by car, a little bit longer by horse or coach, about 3 hours then, but with Cape Fullerton being fairly close, it means I could come home on some weekends and holidays. And one of the good things about Cape Fullerton is it's not as dangerous as other postings."

"Isn't that the posting Uncle Jack initially wanted?" asked Lilly.

"Yes, but your rich father probably won't request a transfer to here to babysit you," said William and Lilly giggled, "It's not going to be perfect, I know. You still have your family and job in Hope Valley, but I've been thinking about this for a while. So?" asked William hesitantly.

Lilly smiled and kissed William on the cheek, "Yes."

Lilly practically skipped home she was so excited. When she arrived at the Coulter residence, her mother was in the kitchen preparing sandwiches for everyone, "Lilly, there you are."

"I know, I know. I said I'd be home at lunchtime, but Clara arrived later because of Seth and then I was at the church with William," she explained.

Rosemary shot her head up but smiled, "Oh, what did he want?" Lilly didn't say anything, but only smiled, "Oh Lilly Bug, I am so happy for you!" Rosemary threw her arms around her daughter.

"Well, I don't know where the courtship will take us, but it's in God's hands," laughed Lilly nervously.

Rosemary laid a hand on Lilly's shoulder, "Well, you know if you need to talk about anything, I'm here to listen, right?"

Lilly nodded, "I know. Thanks Mom."

Rosemary smiled and squeezed Lilly's shoulder before she said, "Lunch is ready, you can go eat. Lee, Aaron, Violet, lunch is ready!" she called. Lee and Aaron came out of the office and Violet hesitantly came down the stairs and joined her parents and siblings at the table. All of them noticed she wasn't eating much, "Violet, sweetheart, what's wrong?" asked Rosie.

"I don't feel well," said Violet, "I'm not really hungry and my head hurts," she rubbed her head.

Rosemary felt her daughter's forehead, "Well, you do feel a little warm and you have been complaining about how tired you've been for the past few days. Let me go get the thermometer and I'll check your temperature."

"Before you go, Mommy, can I ask you a question?" asked Violet.

"Of course," responded Rosemary.

"Aren't I too young to get pimples?" asked Violet curiously.

Rosemary and Lilly scowled at each other in confusion, "Sweetheart, what pimples?" asked Rosemary. Lee and Aaron also seemed confused.

"I have pimples on my arms and legs. And my belly," Violet held up her arms to show them.

"Uh oh," said Lilly taking Violet's right arm while Rosie observed her left, "Violet, I hate to break it to you, but those aren't pimples."

"Then what are they?" asked Violet.

"Those are chickenpox," informed Rosemary.

Violet's eyes widened, "Chickenpox? Does that mean I'm going to turn into a chicken?"

Rosemary laughed, "No, honey, it just means you're getting sick. That's why you have a headache and don't feel hungry. Everyone gets chickenpox at some point in their life. I had them, Daddy had them, your brother and sister had them…"

"At the same time," commented Lilly.

"Don't remind me," said Aaron, "You blamed me for giving them to you."

Lee and Rosie chuckled at the memory. When Aaron was four, he had gotten chickenpox. Two days later, the spots appeared on Lilly, who had been six years old at the time. Ten days of calamine lotion, oatmeal baths, gloved hands, and keeping them from scratching itchy spots (boy had they been sneaky), "It's a childhood rite of passage, Violet," assured Lee.

"Now go upstairs and change into your pajamas. I'll make you some chicken noodle soup and have Lilly run to the mercantile for calamine lotion and oatmeal so I can help take the itch away," Lilly nodded and grabbed her clutch so she could go to the mercantile.

"But I don't itch right now," Violet shook her head.

"Oh you will," Lilly, Rosie, Lee, and Aaron all said at the same time.


	10. Chapter 10

More spots appeared on Violet over the next few days, so Rosemary and Lillian set a schedule with Dottie and Abigail as to who would work and who would stay home with Violet. On Monday morning, Lilly had agreed to stay home and care for Violet since Monday was one of her usual days off anyways. Rosemary was, of course, playing the role of worried mother even though Lilly had watched Violet plenty of times beforehand, "Take her temperature every half hour, apply the calamine lotion on her arms, legs, chest, and back every hour, use the cotton balls to dab the itchy spots on her face, if she gets really uncomfortable, let her take an oatmeal bath, just pour the oatmeal in the tub, and if she scratches her spots too much and distraction doesn't work, tape the oven mitts to her hands. I know it sounds stupid, but it keeps her from scratching. Make sure to keep her well hydrated with water and juice, I have a pot of chicken noodle soup still heated on the stove, if she wants something and you have to run to the mercantile, Aunt Elizabeth is next door, and if there's a true emergency, Dad and I..."

"MOM!" Lilly shouted, "We'll be fine. I've had chickenpox before, remember?"

"Alright," Rosemary sighed, only half reassured, "I'll be home around three. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," Lilly kissed her mother on the cheek. Rosemary left and Lilly went upstairs to check on Violet, only to find her younger sister doing some strange dances in the middle of her bedroom floor, "Violet, what are you doing?"

"It itches and Mommy won't let me scratch my spots with my hands so I'm trying to find different ways to scratch the itchy spots," answered Violet.

"Here, let me put some more lotion on the really itchy areas," said Lilly. Violet sighed, but complied and sat down on the bed, "Where's it itch the most?"

"My back and my tummy," Violet replied. Lilly began to spread the lotion over Violet's pox-covered back, "Wait, won't you get chickenpox if you come too close to me? Because Mommy says I have to stay home because I can give the other kids chickenpox."

Lilly shook her head, "No, I can't get chickenpox from you. I already had chickenpox when I was little and you can only get it once."

"Oh thank God!" shouted Violet.

"Violet Noelle Coulter!" Lilly scolded.

"Sorry," Violet apologized. Once Lilly was done coating Violet's back and abdomen, Violet handed Lilly _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ and sweetly asked, "Can you read to me?"

"Of course, Violet," smiled Lilly. She sat down next to Violet on the bed and began to read more of the novel though Lilly noticed how much Violet was squirming next to her, "Are you alright, Violet?"

"How DID you keep yourself distracted from how much you itched?" asked Violet.

"Well, Mommy made me wear the oven mitts like she makes you do, and I had chickenpox at the same time as Aaron, so I spent my time alternating between blaming him for giving them to me or demanding he scratch my itchy spots," Lilly admitted and Violet smiled, "But sometimes, when I got really itchy, I would think of a really funny memory to distract me. Like the time Daddy told a joke and Aaron laughed so hard that milk squirted out of his nose," she giggled at the recollection.

Violet wrinkled her nose, "I don't remember that."

"Oh, you were growing in Mommy's tummy then, so you wouldn't remember that," Lilly said, "Well, what about last year's Christmas pageant where you were Mary and Josh Flynn was Joseph, but he forgot the lyrics to Silent Night so he sang Jingle Bells instead."

"Yeah, that was funny," admitted Violet in amusement. Lilly read to her sister some more until she noticed Violet had fallen asleep next to her. She woke her long enough to take her temperature and also put the oven mitts on her just to be safe before going downstairs to make herself some lunch. Lilly figured she'd try to get Violet to eat when she woke up again. Once she was finished eating, Lilly went back to reading _London Calling_. To be honest, she was only reading it because of her mother's insistence (she knew her mother would always have that ambitious performer in her, no matter where she lived), but thankfully, the play was pretty good so far. Lilly heard a knock at the door and glanced out the window before answering it, "William, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was on my lunch break and I stopped by the café to see you and you weren't there, so I figured you were here," he shrugged.

Lilly stepped aside to let him into the house, "Well, today is one of my days off and even if it wasn't, Violet has chickenpox, so Mom and I will be alternating with staying home and taking care of her this week."

"Ooh, that's not fun. I remember when Mary, Charlotte, Dad, and I all got chickenpox at the same time," chuckled William, "But that explains why Aunt Rosemary and Violet weren't in church yesterday," he glanced at the book, "What are you reading?"

"Just some play Mom insisted on me reading. You know my mother; she still tries to keep up with the latest plays and theater news even if she's no longer on Broadway," Lilly waved her hand in the air.

"Well, it's what Aunt Rosemary loves. You can't blame her for her passions," said William. Lilly sat down next William and William grabbed her hand, "So, how have you been?"

"Pretty good, I mean you know everything that's involved with treating chickenpox: calamine lotion, oatmeal baths, oven mitts…"

"Oven mitts?" William raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe that's just in the Coulter house," admitted Lilly, tilting her head.

William chuckled, "You're so adorable," he leaned in to kiss her.

They kissed for a few more moments until they heard someone shout, "WILLIAM, WHY ARE YOU KISSING MY SISTER?!"

Lilly and William quickly pulled apart and Lilly stood, "Aaron!" she gave her best smile, "What are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Dad left one of his binders in his office, so he sent me to get it. What is William doing here and more importantly, why is he kissing you?" asked Aaron.

"Well, most people in courtships kiss," stated William, standing as well.

Aaron's eyes widened, "Courtship?! My best friend and my sister! I can't believe this!"

"Lilly, can I have some orange juice?" asked Violet from the top of the stairs.

"Yes!" Lilly called. She quickly poured the glass and glanced between William and Aaron, "Don't…hurt each other," she said before she quickly disappeared upstairs.

The two friends stood there awkwardly for a few moments before Aaron motioned for William to join him outside, "William, a moment," William hesitantly followed his best friend outside before Aaron turned to face him, "Man, you realize you were kissing my SISTER!"

"Yes, your sister whom I asked to court me. And your sister who accepted the offer," clarified William.

"Does Dad even know about you two? Did you even ask his permission?" asked Aaron furiously.

"Yes, I asked Uncle Lee a few days ago and he gave me his blessing," William crossed his arms over his chest.

"But why my sister?" asked Aaron, beginning to pace, "You're telling me there aren't other girls in Hope Valley for you to court?"

"Because I've cared about her for a really long time! I've just never had the courage to ask Uncle Lee or her until now," explained William, "And she's older than you anyways."

"I know she's older than me, but that doesn't mean I don't feel protective of her," said Aaron, "You know about the history between your Dad and my Mom now. It didn't work out for them."

"Doesn't mean it won't work out for me and Lilly," argued William.

"Seriously, another Thornton man with another LeVeaux/Coulter woman? History is doomed to repeat itself," shouted Aaron, "And I've seen everything Aunt Elizabeth goes through every time Uncle Jack leaves on some sort of dangerous assignment. I am NOT letting you put my sister through all of that!"

"And how are you going to do that exactly?" questioned William in amusement.

"I'll just…forbid you from seeing her," said Aaron trying to sound intimidating.

"Well, given the fact that Uncle Lee has already given me his permission, Aunt Rosemary is okay with the courtship, and Lilly has agreed to court me, then what are you going to do to stop us from seeing each other?"

"I'll just…I'll just get Dad to change his mind," said Aaron.

William snorted in hilarity, "Yeah, good luck with that endeavor."

Aaron groaned in anger and stormed off towards the saw mill, gripping the binder as tightly as he could.


	11. Chapter 11

Aaron stormed into his father's office and slammed the binder down on Lee's desk. Lee looked up and noticed that his usually happy-go-lucky, laid-back middle child looked as if he wanted to start throwing the closest unbreakable object across the room, "Whoa Buddy, what happened?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Lilly had entered into a courtship with William?" Aaron asked angrily.

Lee sighed, "Buddy, I thought you knew."

"I knew that they went out on a dinner date, but I thought they were going to catch up and that was going to be the end of it," shouted Aaron furiously, "Dad, my best friend was kissing my sister! Do you know how weird and awkward that is for me?!"

"Buddy, Lilly's almost eighteen; she's getting to the age where she needs to start thinking about marriage and starting a family, possibly a career as well, and if William Thornton is interested, then…"

"You could have at least consulted me and asked me my opinion," said Aaron.

"Actually, Aaron, I didn't have to. You might be training to take over the saw mill once I retire and, yes, you will have a family of your own to lead one day, but despite what you may think, you're not the man of the house. I am," said Lee firmly.

"Well, what does Mom think?" asked Aaron.

"Your mother agrees with me and accepted the fact that it was my decision since Lillian is my daughter and I'm her father," Lee crossed his arms over his chest.

Aaron's eyes widened, "MOM? The same woman who requires you to talk to her and then practically makes you take a national survey before making a decision about dinner on your weekly date night?"

"Listen, Buddy, I'm really busy right now, and you still have orders to start fulfilling…"

"And what happens if William gets stationed on the other side of Canada?" asked Aaron.

"Well, if they're committed to the courtship, they'll make it work, just like Uncle Jack and Aunt Elizabeth do…"

"And that's another thing. What if they end up just like Mom and Uncle Jack? What if William leaves Lilly for his own selfish desires just like Mom did with Uncle Jack…?"

"Aaron Jacob Coulter! You do NOT insult your mother like that! Not in front of her or me or anyone in Hope Valley! You understand me?" shouted Lee angrily. Seriously, Aaron was usually was their least problematic child. What on Earth was wrong with him all of a sudden? He seemed to flip a switch between the saw mill and the house, "Now, your mother may have made some mistakes in her past, but she learned from them and knowing about their past does not give you permission to use those mistakes to hold it against her or anyone else. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir," said Aaron quietly.

"Good, now go work on those orders you were fulfilling," Lee ordered. He watched his son leave the office and sat back down at his desk.

Aaron's attitude didn't improve much later that night. Sure, he was no longer back talking or bad mouthing anyone, but he was unusually quiet (and not in his usual, shy way). He was also going out of his way to pamper Violet and not say a word to Lillian or his parents. Violet, of course, was taking full advantage of her older brother's behavior along with the chickenpox excuse. After she had finished her dinner, Violet came down the stairs, looked at Aaron, and sweetly asked, "Aaron, will you play dolls with me?"

"Of course I will, Violet," he replied. He changed his demeanor and asked, "May I be excused?"

Rosemary sighed. She didn't really want to give Aaron what he wanted, but she also didn't want to disappoint Violet and if it kept her youngest child from scratching her spots, she was all for it, "Yes, you may be excused," Aaron smiled at Violet and followed her up the stairs, leaving Lee, Rosie, and Lilly alone at the dinner table. Rosemary held back a few tears and said, "I don't understand why he's acting the way he is. I mean, I thought he would be thrilled for William and Lilly. Did you lecture him about what he said?" she asked Lee. He had explained everything to her when they got home from work.

"I did, but obviously he's still upset about something," said Lee, "If he stays this way too much longer, maybe we can take away his driving privileges."

Lilly played with her food for a few more moments before she looked up at her parents, "Listen, if this whole courtship with William makes Aaron uncomfortable, I can end it now before it gets too serious."

"No Lillian, it's your life and your decision. Aaron is the one who has to learn to accept it. You've done nothing wrong," Lee held up his hand.

After dinner, Lee went upstairs to start getting ready for tomorrow while Lilly and Rosie stayed downstairs. Lilly was hesitant on what she wanted to discuss with her mother. The past few months had gotten her thinking about her next step in life and Violet's case of the chickenpox confirmed it for her, "Mom?" she hesitantly asked. Rosemary looked up at her daughter, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Is it about William?" asked Rosie. Sure, they were only in the early stages of their courtship, but she knew how hard it was to repress natural desires sometimes.

"No, it's actually about something else," Lilly admitted. Rosemary and Lilly sat down on the couch, "Well, I've been thinking about what I want to do in life and you know I thought about acting, but I didn't want to leave Hope Valley, at least, not right now. And I enjoy it, but it's not my calling like it was yours," Rosemary nodded her understanding, "Well, these past few months, watching Clara give birth to Seth, that time back in February when both you and Dad got the flu and I had to take care of you plus keep the household running, and these past few days of taking care of Violet made me realize what my passion is, what I want to do for the rest of my life."

"Well, what is it then?" asked Rosemary curiously.

"Mom, I want to be a nurse," Lilly stated steadfastly.

"Oh," said Rosemary. Her dear daughter, the one she once thought was her own personal mini-me, was suddenly developing her own personality and unique qualities. Rosemary took a deep breath, "Well, I'm definitely not the right person to tell you how to accomplish that goal given the fact that I'm not the best around bodily fluids," she admitted and Lilly chuckled. Unless it was one of the kids or Lee who was sick, Rosie wasn't necessarily the most comforting around patients other than having some unique ability to comfort women giving birth as Elizabeth, Faith, and Clara had found out personally, "But, I would say having a conversation with Faith Cantrell would be a good place to start."

"Really? You're on board?" asked Lilly eagerly.

"Of course, Little Flower. My ultimate wish in life is for you to be truly happy. And if nursing is what you want to do, then do it," Rosie rubbed her cheek.

"Oh thank you, Mom!" Lilly threw her arms around Rosie.

"But one more thing, Lilly Bug," Rosemary said and Lilly pulled out of her mother's embrace, "If you're serious about pursuing nursing, then you need to let William know your plans. A successful relationship is built on openness, honesty, communication, and trust."

"Is that how you and Dad make your marriage so respectable?" asked Lilly.

Rosie nodded, "Your father and I talk about everything on our minds. I do most of the talking, but your father is an excellent listener. Most of the time."

Lilly giggled, "The next time I see William, I'll talk to him."

"Good," Rosie squeezed Lilly's hand, "Well, I'm going to go check on your sister and then I'm going to bed," Rosemary kissed Lilly's cheek, "I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," answered Lilly. Rosemary disappeared upstairs and Lilly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew she could talk to her mother about anything (and Lilly did mean anything, from the weather outside to the first time she had gotten her cycle and everything in between). Sure, her father was a Nervous Nelly when it came to her growing up, but generally, she knew she could count on him too. Violet? Well, Violet basically worshipped the ground she walked on; Lilly did admit she enjoyed the adoration some. Now if only she could find a way to get Aaron on board.


	12. Chapter 12

Over the next few days, things did not improve between Aaron and the rest of the family, though he was at least responsible enough not to neglect his work and household duties. Lee and Rosemary had no idea what to do about him; they really couldn't punish him because he wasn't really misbehaving, but he wasn't really behaving either. Lilly had tried desperately to talk to her brother with no such luck. Violet was just about the only Coulter he would speak to right now.

Thursday was Rosemary's day to stay at home with Violet, so Lilly was at Abigail's early to help Abigail, Clara, and Becky with the breakfast rush. She hadn't gotten the chance to talk to William, or anyone else for that matter, about her career prospects. Luckily for her, both Shane and William were having breakfast at the café, so she figured she could talk to both of them. She went over to Shane's table and poured him some more coffee, "Good morning, Mr. Cantrell."

Shane looked up and smiled, "Good morning, Lilly. How have you been?"

"I've been doing well. I was wondering: is Faith over at the infirmary today?" she questioned.

Shane shook his head, "No, Carson has been holding down the fort at the infirmary. Lea and Lydia both have chickenpox, so she's been staying home taking care of them."

"Oh, the poor dears. Violet has chickenpox right now as well," Lilly sympathized.

"So do Adam and Josh Flynn. I know Jesse and Clara have been alternating who's working and who's staying home with the kids," admitted Shane.

"Well, I know you come in here nearly every day, so I was wondering, when Lea and Lydia get well and Faith can return to work, would you let me know? I really want to talk to her about something," asked Lilly.

"Of course, Lilly," Shane nodded.

"Thanks, Mr. Cantrell," smiled Lilly and went back to work. She made sure the other customers were taken care of before she approached William, "Hi, William."

"Hi, Lilly," he smiled.

Lilly looked around, making sure Abigail, Becky, and Clara couldn't see her slacking off. She hesitantly sat down across from William and asked, "Can I talk to you about a couple of things?"

William shrugged, "Well, people in courtships do talk about things," he joked.

Lilly chuckled nervously, "Well, this might affect that said courtship," she admitted, "I've decided what I want to do in life," William raised his eyebrows, indicating for Lilly to continue, "I want to study nursing."

"Nursing? Really?" asked William in surprise, "What made you want to pursue that career path?"

Lilly sighed, "Well, I've always wanted to either work with children or help people, but I never wanted to be a teacher like Aunt Elizabeth. Just the thought of creating lesson plans and grading papers and assigning homework would bore me to tears," Lilly bobbed her head for emphasis, "But this past year, I've had to do so much medical wise. I was in the room when Clara gave birth to Seth this past January. Back in February, both Mom and Dad got a nasty case of the flu and I had to care for them. In April, Aaron broke his ankle playing baseball and he needed a lot of assistance with things. And now, caring for Violet while she has the chickenpox…" Lilly trailed off, "It sounds strange, but I've loved every minute of it. Even if I did have to wait on Aaron hand and foot, apply calamine lotion to Violet's back every ten minutes, or somehow manage to keep a household functioning while dealing with sick parents."

"You managed to keep the whole household running?" asked William.

"Well, Uncle Jack, Aunt Elizabeth, Aunt Abigail, and Pastor Frank did help me some. I'm just shocked none of us kids got sick by some miracle," Lilly admitted.

William smiled proudly, "And the way you just described nursing is how I know it's what you're meant to do, because that's the exact same way Mom talks about teaching, Dad talks about being a Mountie, or Aunt Rosemary talks about acting," Lilly chuckled, "So what would you have to do to become a nurse?"

Lilly sighed, "I'd have to go back to school, I'm sure. I want to talk to Faith about everything involved as soon as possible."

"Well you, Lilly Coulter, can do anything you set your mind to do," said William.

"Thanks," she smiled and then her smile faltered, "And my second point. Has Aaron been acting…different around you ever since we stared courting?"

William sighed, but nodded, "Yes, he hasn't said more than two words to me all week. Why, has he been distant from you?"

"Me, Mom, Dad, everyone in our house except Violet; he's gone out of his way to show extra attention to her. And you know Violet; she's eating up every minute of it and taking full advantage," said Lilly.

William took a deep breath, "Well, I'd like to think I'll be the calm brother, but I know I'll be just as protective of Mary and Charlotte when they start courting, so I can't fully blame Aaron for looking out for you."

"I've tried talking to him, but he acts like I don't exist," Lilly held back a few tears.

William grabbed Lilly's hand, "I can try talking to him if you want."

Lilly's eyes widened, "NO! Goodness, no! That will just make it worse."

"So…other than Aaron, is everyone in your family on board? Both with pursuing nursing and us courting?" asked William apprehensively.

"Yes," Lilly confirmed, "Violet has already told me I can practice on her any time, Mom has been so helpful answering any questions I have, and Dad has finally calmed down. Or at least as calm as he'll be with you and me…"

"Yeah," William laughed.

"Lillian!" Abigail called, "I need your help in the kitchen!"

"Coming, Aunt Abigail!" Lilly stood and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you later. Maybe we can arrange another dinner date soon?"

"I'm sure we can arrange something," William agreed.

"Okay," Lilly kissed William's cheek, "Have a good day, Honey Bunny."

"No nicknames!" William shouted.

"Oh we'll talk," said Lilly.

Later that night, after dinner, Rosemary decided it was time to talk to Aaron. Lee was in his office and Lilly was playing with Violet, so she knew Aaron would be alone in his room. She went upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door, "Come in!" he called.

Rosemary stuck her head into the room and smiled, "Hey Bud. Can we talk about something?"

He shrugged, "I guess."

Rosemary entered the room and sat down on the bed next to him, "Your father and I have been concerned about how you've been acting lately."

"Why? I've been doing my chores and completing my duties at the mill," he answered bitterly.

"I know," said Rosemary, "But you've been ignoring everyone in this house except Violet, along with William, and you've been so distant ever since Lilly and William began courting."

"Look, Mom, I already told Dad how I feel and he made himself very clear. I'm sorry, I'll just accept the fact that I'm losing everyone close to me at once," Aaron interrupted her.

"Aaron Coulter, do not interrupt me…!" Rosemary shouted before stopping mid-sentence, "Wait a minute? Did you just say you're losing everyone at once?"

"Yes, something that's slowly been happening since July 20th ten years ago," admitted Aaron.

Rosemary scowled; July 20th was Violet's birthday, "You mean the day Violet was born?"

"Yes," Aaron confirmed, "That's when it started. Lilly stopped paying attention to me because she was so eager to help you with Violet. I mean, she constantly wanted to stay by Violet's side. She helped you pick out Violet's outfits for the day, she was always playing with her, she was getting you water and reading to Violet while you were nursing her. I know they're so close because they're the same gender, but I felt a little left out. So I spent most of my time with William, but now, he's in the Mounties. He could be on the other side of Canada by next week. I feel like I've already lost my best friend, but at least I still had my sister. But now, she's courting William and if it works out, she'll leave Hope Valley too. And yes, I hated it when she forced me to play tea party with her and dressed me up like one of her rag dolls and bossed me around, but if she starts spending more time with William and eventually marries him, she'll move out of the house. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll miss her! I would gladly go back to the days of being dressed as a princess or having make-up put on me or having my hair styled if I could just get a few more months with her," Rosie could tell he was struggling to hold back tears; he had always been a sensitive child, "I feel like first I had to share my big sister with Violet, then I had to share my best friend with the Mounties, and now I might have to share my big sister with my best friend AND the Mounties?" he vented, "She was the same girl who protected me from monsters under the bed and bullies on the playground. I just feel I need to return the favor and protect her."

"Oh Bud," Rosemary wrapped her arms around her son, "I know it's scary and I know it's hard to think about Lilly getting married, moving out of the house, starting a family of her own," Rosie listed, "But I understand how you feel the need to protect her."

"You do?" questioned Aaron, "How?"

"Well, ignore the fact that Uncle Jack and I were engaged," Rosie began, "Uncle Jack has always been like a brother to me and it pained me to have to share him with the Mounties. And I'll be honest, it pained me at first that I had to share him with Aunt Elizabeth," admitted Rosemary and Aaron chuckled, "And nobody really knows this, but when your father and I first started courting, Uncle Jack was pretty protective of me. He didn't show it outright, but I know he would've seriously injured your father if he had hurt me in any way, shape, or form."

"Even after you broke off your engagement?" questioned Aaron.

"Yes, even then," Rosie admitted, "He's the closest thing I've ever had to a brother and I'm like the sister he never had. And sure, I spent a lot of time with your father when we were courting and, of course, after we got married, but Uncle Jack and I figured out how to stay close friends. And I'm sure if you talk to William and Lilly, you can all figure out how to make time for each other."

Aaron sighed, "Guess I screwed up big time. I should probably apologize to the both of them for acting like a complete jerk."

"Well, Lilly is busy with Violet right now, so maybe tomorrow," Rosemary said. She kissed his forehead, "Love you, Bud."

"Love you too, Mom," Aaron answered. Once Rosie left, Aaron pulled a picture out of his nightstand drawer. None of his family knew he still had it. It was a picture taken the day Violet was born, their first picture as a family of five: Lee and Rosemary both looked exhausted, but extremely happy. Lilly was kissing Violet's head and he was beaming in the photo. It might have been ten years ago, but it seemed like it was just yesterday. Of course, he and his sisters fought and had their fair share of troubles, but he wouldn't trade his family for the world.


	13. Chapter 13

Saturday was the day Aaron saw both William and Lilly together again, at their weekly brunch social at Abigail's. When Lee, Lilly, and Aaron arrived at the café (Rosie was still at home with Violet just to be on the safe side even though most of Violet's spots were gone), he found William and pulled both his sister and his best friend into the sitting area. He sat down in one of the chairs while William and Lilly sat down across from him on the sofa. Aaron took a deep breath and said, "Listen, this past week, I've been a terrible brother and a horrible friend."

"You weren't a horrible friend," said William.

"Yeah, you were," Lilly agreed with her brother.

Aaron glared jokingly at his sister and continued, "I acted like a complete jerk this past week, but the truth is, the idea of you both courting scares me."

William and Lilly looked at each other and then back at Aaron, "Why?" asked William confusingly.

"Because…William, you're my best friend in the world. We spent hours upon hours racing cars, digging in the dirt to find bugs, playing baseball, and playing shooting games when we were kids. And Lilly, you're my big sister. I had to suffer through your tea parties and dress-up sessions and pretend fairy tale princess skits," William snickered a little and Aaron glared at him this time, "Like you never did that stuff for Mary and Charlotte's sake."

"Sorry," said William.

"But, you were also the big sister who let me sleep in your bed when I had a bad dream, you defended me whenever someone was teasing me on the playground; I mean, you nearly clobbered Miles Montgomery one time and he was twice your size," Aaron chuckled at the memory, "You've always had a special connection with Violet ever since she was born and I feel like I lost you some then, but you were always still there for me when I needed you, like when I broke my ankle or when I was struggling with science lessons. Or even when I was learning how to read and Mom was too busy with the baby, you would come to my rescue. But now, with William in the Mounties and you two courting each other, I'm afraid I'm going to lose you both."

"How so?" asked William.

"Well, even if you get stationed close to Hope Valley, you both will be with each other all the time. I'll lose my best friend and my big sister at the same time," Aaron admitted, "And if you get married, Lilly will move out…"

"Whoa, Aaron, I'm going to stop you right there," Lilly interjected, "William and I have discussed some things and we've both decided we want to court at least 6 months to a year to see if we're compatible as a couple before we even discuss marriage. I'm not getting married tomorrow. I'm not quite ready for that yet."

"And, no offense to you Lilly, but I could not spend 24/7 with her," William pointed at her, "I'll still need you for guy stuff, like horseback riding and riffle shooting."

"I can do both of those things!" Lilly protested.

"She's inherited Mom's talent in riffle shooting, I'll give her that," admitted Aaron reluctantly.

"Well, what can't you do?" asked William incredulously.

"Keep a secret, stay quiet for more than five seconds, she can't draw well," Aaron listed amusingly.

"AARON!" Lilly swatted at him playfully.

"Anyways, what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry," he admitted.

"It's okay, Aaron. To be honest with you, I probably would've reacted the same way if I was you," said William.

Aaron looked at Lilly, "Of course, I forgive you, you goofball," Lilly got up from the couch and wrapped her arms around her brother.

"No hugs!" Aaron whined and then Lilly started kissing his cheeks, "No kisses either!" he moaned. Though he was secretly enjoying every minute of it, he would never ever tell Lillian that fact. He looked William in the eyes, "But listen William. We might be best friends, but Lillian is still my big sister. If you do anything to hurt her, I will hunt you down like a hawk. Understand?"

"You sound just like you father," William smirked. Aaron took that answer as a yes, "Oh did I tell you guys that Grandma Charlotte is coming for a visit?"

"No, when?" asked Lilly.

"Next weekend," answered William, "Can you believe my grandmother is in her late sixties and still goes horseback riding and duck hunting three days a week?"

Lilly and Aaron chuckled, "I can believe it," said Aaron, "I'm going to go get some food," he excused himself.

William and Lilly headed over to the table hand in hand before Lilly hesitantly spoke, "So…next weekend when you grandmother is in town."

"Yeah?" asked William.

"Are you going to tell her about, you know, us?" asked Lilly apprehensively, "I mean with Mom and Uncle Jack having been engaged, how do you think Mrs. Thornton will react?"

"Lilly," William laid his hands on her shoulders, "It's Grandma Charlotte we're talking about, you've met her plenty of times."

Lilly sighed, "I know, but we also weren't courting then nor did we know about our parents' engagement."

"It'll be fine, Lilly Pie," said William.

"Lilly Pie, really?" she smirked.

"Hey, if you're going to call me Honey Bunny, I get to call you something. I can't use Little Flower, that's what your parents call you. I can't use Lilly Bug, that's what Aunt Rosemary calls you. So I have a choice between Lilly Pie and Lilly Pad."

"As long as it's not what Dad used to try to call Mom when they first got married," chuckled Lilly.

"Which is?" asked William.

"Squidget," Lilly snickered.

"Squidget, that's not even a real world," laughed William.

"Welcome to my parents' marriage."

When Lee, Lilly, and Aaron arrived home from Abigail's café, Rosemary and Violet were in the playroom. Violet came running out of the room to greet them, "Daddy, Lilly, Aaron, look! No spots!" she eagerly twirled around and showed off her spot free body.

"Hey, that's great Princess!" Lee lifted her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

"And no more being itchy," said Violet happily.

"I'll probably keep her home from church tomorrow to make sure she goes 24 hours without a fever and doesn't develop any new spots, but she should be good to go to school when it starts on Monday," informed Rosemary.

"Well, tell you what Princess? How about we have a special tea party to celebrate? How does that sound?" asked Lee.

"With real tea?" asked Violet.

"No, with apple juice," said Lee.

"How about some of Aunt Abigail's scones?" she asked hopefully.

"Have a bag for you right here," he said, holding up the bag. He followed his youngest daughter into the playroom.

"Well, I have a few things to do before school starts, so I'll be in my room if you need me," Aaron kissed Rosie's cheek.

Rosemary watched Aaron disappear and then looked at Lilly, "So did everything get worked out between you, Aaron, and William?"

Lilly nodded, "Yeah, I think we're good."

"Good," said Rosemary.

"Hey Mom?" Rosie turned to face Lilly, "William told me that Mrs. Thornton is coming to visit next weekend."

"As in Charlotte Thornton?" asked Rosemary.

"Yes," confirmed Lilly.

"Well, that should be fun. It's been awhile since we've seen her," said Rosemary. Lilly smiled nervously and Rosemary approached her daughter, "Is something wrong, Lilly Bug?"

"No, I'm fine," Lilly lied.

"Lillian," Rosemary scolded lightly, "I'm your mother, I know when something is bothering you. Now please tell me what's wrong."

The mother and daughter sat down on the settee in the living room, "When you first started courting Dad, how long was it before you had…feelings for him? Not like, marital feelings, but romantic feelings."

Rosemary creased her brow, "What are you trying to ask?"

Lilly took a deep breath, "When did you first know you loved Dad?"

"Oh," Rosemary exclaimed softly. She thought about it for a few moments, "Well, I know the whole 'love at first sight' might not apply to this situation, but the first time I laid eyes on him, I definitely felt something like I had never felt before in my life."

"Not even with Uncle Jack?" asked Lilly.

"Lilly, the love I thought I had for Uncle Jack pales in comparison to the love I have for your father," Rosemary stated adamantly, "But, I would say it was one evening in his office, I told him he didn't have to build me a theater because I knew he was busy, and then he told me I was the best part of his life, and that's when I knew I loved him and that he was the man I was going to marry. It was about a month after we started courting, but it took a little bit longer before I actually told him because I was afraid I was going to scare him off if I told him how I felt about him."

"That's how I feel. I mean, William and I have been courting a week; I can't possibly love him already. And even if I do, is it that profound love like you and Dad or Uncle Jack and Aunt Elizabeth have, or is it something that's going to end badly where I'll look back and regret it?" she admitted, a few tears falling down her cheeks.

Rosemary tucked a lock of hair behind her daughter's ear and said, "Well, I can't really tell you what to do, Lilly Bug. If you want to tell him how you feel, that's fine. If you want to wait a bit and examine your feelings more, that's fine too. But you have to pray about it and follow your heart."

Lilly smiled slightly and nodded, "Mom, do you still have the Rosary that Grandpa gave you when you were young?"

"I never leave home without it," said Rosemary.

"Can I borrow it?" asked Lilly hesitantly.

"Of course, it's in my nightstand drawer," Rosie said.

Lilly's breath shook, "Thanks Mom," she kissed Rosemary's cheek, "I love you," Lilly quietly went into her parents' bedroom and obtained the desired item before she took it to her room. She took the Rosary out if its pouch and held the first bead in her hand, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."


	14. Chapter 14

The first week of school was a successful one for both Elizabeth and her students, though her mind was also a tad preoccupied with the upcoming visit from her mother-in-law. Friday arrived, the day Charlotte was supposed to arrive in Hope Valley. To celebrate her visit, the Thornton and Coulter families were going to enjoy dinner at Jack and Elizabeth's house. Jack was also going to make an announcement to his mother and the rest of the family and friends, but Elizabeth already knew what he was going to say as he had already discussed it with her. During the early evening hours as the Thorntons were busy preparing, they all heard the sound of a horse outside, "Sounds like Ma is here," said Jack as he went outside to greet her.

Charlotte was just dismounting her horse when Jack approached her, "Hi Jack," she smiled and embraced him.

"Hi Ma," he kissed her cheek, "Elizabeth and the kids are inside getting everything set up for dinner," informed Jack.

"Hard to believe they're not really kids anymore," said Charlotte as they both went inside the house.

"Grandma!" Mary said happily as she ran to hug her. William and Charlotte came up behind her.

"Hi Grandma," said William in glee.

"Oh look at you," Charlotte observed her grandson in his Mountie uniform, "You look so much like your father when he first joined the Mounties."

William chuckled, "That's the same thing Aunt Rosemary said."

Elizabeth wiped her hands on a dishrag and came over to everyone else, "Hi Charlotte," she embraced her mother-in-law.

"Hi Lizzie," Charlotte kissed her on the cheek.

"Lee, Rosemary, and the kids should be over in a few minutes," stated Elizabeth.

The Coulters arrived just as the Thorntons finished setting the table and preparing the food. Rosemary smiled when she was Charlotte, "Hi Charlotte!" she shouted, excitedly throwing her arms around her.

"Hi Rosie. Long time, no see," said Charlotte, "Lee," she embraced him as well.

"Mrs. Thornton," Lee hugged her back.

She looked over towards Lilly and Aaron, "Lilly and Aaron Coulter, is that you?"

"It's really us, Mrs. Thornton," said Aaron.

"Look at you both. You've both grown so much since I last saw you. And you are the spitting image of your Mama when she was your age," she told Lilly.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Lilly joked.

"What about me?" asked Violet.

"Oh, I knew I was forgetting someone," said Charlotte jokingly, crouching down the Violet's level, "How has age ten been treating you?"

"Well, I just had the chickenpox, so not good," Violet wrinkled her nose. She jutted her chest out and said, "But I was good at not scratching my itchy spots!"

"She was, I'll give her credit for that," said Rosemary.

"Well, that's good. Tom wasn't good at not scratching his itchy spots. I'm sure Jack would be good at not scratching," said Charlotte.

"He wasn't," Elizabeth shook her head and Jack glared at her jokingly, "He was worse than the kids when it came to scratching."

"Well, on that note, dinner is ready. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. And Rosie made her famous chocolate cherry cake for dessert," said Jack.

"Well good, because I'm starving," Charlotte rubbed her hands together.

The families sat down and said grace before they began their meals, "Oh, Jack, you mentioned you were going to make an announcement," said Lee.

Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other and Elizabeth nodded encouragingly. Jack took a deep breath and said, "At the end of this year, I'm going to retire," he announced.

"Retire? Really?" asked Rosemary, "Why?"

"Well, twenty years in the Mounties is starting to catch up with me. Bill has offered me a job helping him with the law enforcement. But, once I retire, the Mounties can no longer assign me or deploy me anywhere and I won't be handling quite as many tasks. That also means that a new Mountie will be assigned to Hope Valley."

Everyone looked at each other slightly shocked, but most everyone was smiling, "Well, it'll be great to have you back to ourselves again, Dad," commented Charlotte.

"Yes, we now have to share William with the Mounties," said Mary.

"Not to mention my sister," said Aaron.

"Aaron," Lilly scolded through gritted teeth.

"Oops, sorry," apologized Aaron.

"Share William…with Lilly? What do you mean?" asked Charlotte confusingly.

William and Lilly glanced at each other before William said, "Lilly and I are in a courtship."

Charlotte's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "We only started courting two weeks ago, so it's really not anything serious yet," Lilly said quickly.

"Oh, it's not that," explained Charlotte, "I'm just wondering what took William so long?" she asked jokingly, "William, I love you, but you're just like your father. You find a girl you like and it takes you forever to do something about it!"

Everyone at the table chuckled, "Well, quite frankly, I was a little nervous about how you would react, Grandma," admitted William honestly.

"Well, why would you be?" asked Charlotte.

Jack, Elizabeth, Lee, and Rosemary all looked at each other, "Because we told them about us," Rosemary said as she gestured between her and Jack.

"Oh," said Charlotte.

"I didn't mean to hear Mommy and Daddy talking, it just happened," said Violet innocently.

"Violet," warned Rosie.

"It's okay Rosie, I understand," said Charlotte. After dinner, everyone helped clean up before the boys went outside to play baseball, "Look at them. My forty-seven year old son still has the energy to play baseball all the time," she joked with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth chuckled, "Trust me, he feels it."

"Oh, Rosie, Lilly, and I were talking and we're all going riffle shooting tomorrow. I don't suppose you might like to join us?" questioned Charlotte.

Elizabeth chuckled again, but shook her head, "No, that's quite alright. You ladies have a good time."

"I promise we'll be home for lunch with Abigail and Frank. It's better to go in the early morning anyways," said Charlotte.

"As long as you think you can handle both Rosemary and Lillian," said Elizabeth.

"Oh please. If I could handle Jack, Tom, and Rosie as children all on my own, then an adult Rosie and a nearly adult Lilly will be a piece of cake," stated Charlotte.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that admission," laughed Elizabeth, "And don't even ask about Violet. Lee and Rosemary have already decided they won't take her hunting or shooting until she's thirteen, just like with Lilly and Aaron."

"Thirteen. Tom helped Jack harvest his first buck at age six," Charlotte shook her head in amusement, "I won't say anything. I wanted it to be just the three of us anyways, unless you wanted to come along."

Elizabeth shook her head, "No, that's quite alright. Enjoy yourselves tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15

Rosemary, Lillian, and Charlotte arrived at the shooting range early even though they were all traveling via horse. Once they arrived, they dismounted them and tied them to the polls, "Wow, I haven't ridden a horse in ages," Rosemary commented, "Most of the time when we travel, we take either Lee's car, the stage coach, or the train."

"I make sure to ride at least once every other day. Too old to go riding once a day anymore," said Charlotte.

Lilly stayed back while Rosemary and Charlotte chatted away about things, though she wasn't 100% sure about what. She clearly remembered the first time her parents had brought her and Aaron up, though Lee had mostly been used for the transportation. She wasn't all that great at riffle shooting at first; Aaron had been the one who had taken to it right away, but she improved over time and now she could easily compete with her mother (well not quite). Once they had everything sorted, Rosemary was more than happy to begin the conversation, "So Charlotte, did I mention that Lilly wants to go into nursing?"

"Really?" asked Charlotte surprised, "Not acting?"

"Mrs. Thornton," scolded Lilly lightly.

"What? I'm just saying you loved being the center of attention when you were little. Not unlike your mother," Charlotte whispered into Lilly's ear to which Lilly giggled a little.

"My hearing is still great, Charlotte," warned Rosie.

Charlotte chuckled lightly and asked, "So what made you want to go into nursing?"

Lilly sighed, "To be honest, I never really thought about it that much until this past year. There was a point that Mom and Dad both got the flu and I had to take care of them…"

"To which she did an excellent job by the way," Rosemary interrupted.

"There was also a point that Aaron broke his ankle playing baseball and I helped him do things. And now, with Violet having just gotten over the chicken pox, it confirmed what I want to do," described Lilly.

"Well, I think you'd make a wonderful nurse," confirmed Charlotte.

"I mean it's not official yet. I'd have to talk to Faith Cantrell and go to nursing school and stuff like that," admitted Lilly.

"Well, I had to do a lot of schooling to become a teacher, but it was worth it in the end," smiled Charlotte fondly.

"Same with all of the rejections I first encountered in the world of theater. Of course, it only took about two months before I was cast as Princess Marie…."

"Mom," huffed Lilly.

"Rosie," warned Charlotte.

"Well, like Mrs. Thornton said, hard work pays off in the end," smiled Rosie.

"Well enough about career paths. How about we discuss you courting my grandson," smirked Charlotte.

"Mrs. Thornton," Lilly blushed in embarrassment.

"What? We're all women here. It's important for us to discuss relationships," said Charlotte innocently.

"If I wasn't courting William, would you care?" joked Lilly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, but maybe not quite as much," admitted Charlotte, "So did his Daddy raise him to treat a woman right?"

Lilly blushed even more, "Yes, he did."

"Is William a good kisser?"

"CHARLOTTE!" Rosemary defended her daughter.

"What? I want to know," pleaded Charlotte. She looked back to Lilly.

Lilly finally succumbed to Charlotte's silent request, "Yes, but we've only had a few chaste kisses."

"One of them being on the first date, I might add," butted in Rosemary.

"MOM!" shouted Lilly. Rosemary shrugged innocently while Lilly buried her face into her hands, "Can we please talk about something else now?"

"Of course, Lilly Bug," Rosemary patted her shoulder and quickly switched the subject to other events that were happening in Hope Valley. After a few more rounds, they decided to pack up so they would be back to Hope Valley in time for lunch. When they all arrived, Jack, Lee, Aaron, Frank, William, and Cody were all out front playing baseball.

Charlotte dismounted her horse and asked, "Mind if a lady joins you all?"

Jack chuckled and said, "Of course not, Mom."

Rosemary and Lilly laughed quietly to themselves as they entered the café where Abigail, Becky, Mary, Charlotte, and Elizabeth were all cooking lunch and Violet was drawing at one of the tables, "Hi Mommy, hi Lilly!" she waved.

"Hi honey," Rosemary kissed her cheek and went into the kitchen.

Lilly sighed and sat down next to Violet, "So, how was everything here this morning?"

"Okay," Violet said, "Becky showed me some cool science stuff while we were waiting for you, Mommy, and Mrs. Thornton to come back."

"Well that sounds like fun," said Lilly.

Violet shrugged, "It was alright. I'm not as into science as Becky is," there was a few moments of silence between the two sisters when Violet asked, "So what did you talk about on your trip?"

"Um," Lilly stuttered, "I told Mrs. Thornton about my plans to become a nurse and then some girl stuff."

"What kind of girl stuff?" Lilly eyed Violet with her sisterly look, "What? I'm a girl!"

"I know. But you're only ten. You don't need to worry about relationships," emphasized Lilly.

"Was it about you and William kissing?" asked Violet curiously.

"Lilly, come help set the table. Violet, go get the boys from outside," called Abigail.

"Oh thank goodness," sighed Lilly in relief.

"We'll talk about this later," said Violet as she got up from the table and ran outside to get the men.


	16. Chapter 16

**This is not an update, but a public service announcement that updates on this story will be postponed indefinately. Thank you all for your understanding.**


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